His Turn
by kaela097
Summary: Blair has helped Chuck get through a very difficult time in his life. What happens when it's Chuck's turn to repay the favor?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. They belong to Cecily von Zeigesar and The CW.**

**A sequel to Healing His Heart. Enjoy.**

Chuck was feeling real guilty as he made his way from his limo to the lobby of his building with a bouquet of purple peonies in one hand and his briefcase in the other. The doorman nodded in greeting, his eyes sympathetic as if he knew what awaited Chuck as soon as he stepped off the elevator into his penthouse apartment.

He was so late getting home, and he expected his love to be livid. It was her spring break, and she had forgone following Nate and Serena too some tropical hideaway in favor of staying with him when he announced that he regrettably couldn't get the time off from work to join them.

She understood his reasons. There was a huge business venture that he had been working on . . . the crown jewel of his short stint as the head of Bass Industries. They were so close to making the deal happen, and he couldn't risk a week away. She was so proud of him that she put up no fight, made no indication of her disappointment as she quickly called Serena and put the breaks on their vacation plans.

Chuck took a deep breath and braced himself for the inevitable argument that was waiting for him as he stepped off the elevator and into their apartment. The usual butterflies in his stomach at the prospect of seeing her were fluttering faster than normal, perhaps reacting to the wrath that he knew awaited him.

"Blair," he called out to her as he set his briefcase on the hall table and unloaded his cell phone and money clip from his pockets, as was his routine. His assistant had specific instructions to not bother him each evening unless the fate of Bass Industries was to crumble if he couldn't be reached.

He smoothed his jacket and held on to the flowers tightly.

She didn't call out to him and that worried him even more. She'd never been that upset with him. Just as he found her in the dining room, she was up off her chair and running away from him, her hand over her mouth as she ran towards the nearest bathroom.

His heart stopped beating for five full beats at the slight before him, both gourmet meals that their chef had prepared had been consumed, in a rather hasty fashion he concluded. The flowers fell to the floor forgotten as he ran to the bathroom.

"Blair, open the door," he called out to her as he pounded viscously against it after he concluded that she had engaged the door lock.

"Go away, Chuck," she shouted through the door.

"Blair, I'm so sorry I'm late," he tried to make amends, foolishly thinking that he was the reason for what he was hoping to prevent from happening on the other side of the door.

"Go away," she repeated.

"Open this door, Waldorf, or I'm breaking it down," he commanded. His stomach dropped as he heard the heartbreaking sound of her retching. He didn't hesitate a moment in throwing his shoulder against the door violently. The hinges gave way instantly. He ignored the severe pain in his shoulder as he caught sight of her heaving into the porcelain toilet. Please god, let this be a bad dream, he pleaded silently as he knelt next to her, gathering her curls away from her shoulders, his hand caressing her back gently.

"Go away," she managed to cough out before she unloaded more of her stomach into the bowl.

"Please stop," he pleaded with her, "You're hurting yourself."

"I know," she replied as she rested her head against the side of the bowl, the porcelain cooling her fiery skin as she seemed to regain a hold on her gag reflex for the moment at least.

"I'm so sorry," he repeated.

"This wasn't your fault," she assured him quickly as he continued to caress the bare skin of her back, a thin sheen of sweat had formed during her episode, "I'm not mad at you for being late. I understand how important this business deal is.

"But I told you an hour ago that I was on my way home, and then I got sidetracked," he responded feebly.

She lost her battle yet again as she unloaded the last remnants in her stomach. His stomach churned along with hers, his forehead pressing against her back as tears formed in his eyes. He felt so helpless at the moment. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know enough about her disease to know how to help her.

He began searching his brain, trying to come up with a plan to make this better. He should call Serena, get the Bass jet to her tropical vacation and get her back here as quick as possible. Surely she would know what to do. She had been there for Blair when she relapsed before.

Chuck even hazarded a few moments to consider calling Eleanor, but that was going to be more of a hindrance. Blair and Eleanor had another argument a few weeks ago and were not on speaking terms at the present time.

"What happened?" he whispered as she finally pulled herself away from the bowl and turned to look in his eyes. He could see that she was done with the episode. She looked exhausted and scared.

"I got into Yale," she spoke softly.

"What? When did you even apply?" he inquired, the confusion reading all across his facial features. She would have told him if she had made a decision that important, wouldn't she?

"I didn't," Blair replied as she closed her eyes, not wanting to look into his eyes. She couldn't bear to see the look of disappointment she was sure to find. "Eleanor sent in the application a few months ago without telling me. The letter came in the mail today."

"Blair, this is what you wanted," he frowned, not understanding why this appeared to be upsetting her so much. She had dreamt about Yale since she was a small child. "I don't understand."

"I wanted Yale," she nodded as she continued to keep her eyes closed as she licked her suddenly parched lips. Her face scrunching up in disgust at the acidic taste, "So much so that I hazed a teacher. When I got rejected, I almost destroyed myself and everything around me. Yale isn't good for me."

"It's one of the most respected universities in the world," he stated as he caressed her forehead, the sweat still clinching to her skin.

"That's why I always wanted to go," she replied, "I wanted to have everyone's respect, as if going to that university automatically assured me of that."

"Please help me understand this," he requested as he reached up towards the sink and wet a towel to wipe her skin. Her face was still flush as if she had a fever. "I don't understand what sent you in here to do this. You've been doing so well for two years."

"I don't know if I understand it," she shook her head, "I've been staring at this piece of paper on and off all day, ever since it arrived." He saw her holding something crumpled up in her hand. He took it from her and read it through. Sure enough it was her acceptance letter. If she had received this the previous year, he knew that she would have had it framed, but now it appeared to be nothing more than garbage that she wanted to dispose of.

"Blair, if this is about us . . . if your worried about what the separation could do to us, don't. We'll figure this out. We'll make your dream happen," he tried to assured her.

"It's not what I want anymore," she stated as she reached out to silence him by placing her fingers on his lips.

"Please don't give up on that dream for me," he requested as he forced her to look in his eyes. If she was making herself sick because of him, he would never forgive himself. "Please, Blair."

"I'm not," she assured him, smiling warmly at him for the first time since he'd gotten home. "Yale gave up on me. I'm just returning the favor. I'm happy at NYU. When I first started, I never thought I'd say that, but I am. What is more important is that I love this life that we have together."

"We don't have to decide anything right now," he stated as he stood up and gathered her into his arms and lifted her easily as her eyes drooped shut, "Right now, you look like you need sleep, and you'll want to shower before you do that."

"You know me well," she mused as she snuggled against his chest affectionately.

"Not as well as I should," he mumbled softly so that she wouldn't hear. His thoughts consumed him as he carried her into their bedroom. How the hell was he going to fix this?

**TBC. . .**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. They belong to Cecily von Zeigesar and The CW.**

"Stay with me," Blair requested as she swayed gently in his arms as he undressed her when they reached their bathroom. If he hadn't known better, he would have thought she was drunk. She was unsteady on her feet, her words were slightly slurred, and her eyes were droopy.

He was doing the wise thing of not looking as he removed her clothing. She wasn't in any condition to accept his sexual advances, even if he had any thoughts of making them.

"Not a good idea," he shook his head as he stepped her into the shower after testing the water to ensure that it wasn't too warm for her delicate skin. She fell limply against the shower wall while avoiding the spray almost entirely.

He was cursing himself mentally as he kicked off his designer shoes, threw his Armani suit jacket and tie in the general direction of the bedroom before stepping in and holding Blair under the shower's spray. Clearly the devil wanted him in the shower with her. His clothing was soaked, but he wasn't willing to tempt fate by stepping into the shower naked.

"Take the clothes off," she requested as her arms went around his neck as he pulled her close.

"After I get you safely tucked into bed," he stated as he reached out for the shampoo and began fingering it through her hair. Her eyes closed as she rested her head on his shoulder. She began to hum softly in pleasure at the sensations of his fingers against her scalp. She was nearly asleep when he redirected the shower's spray to rinse out the soap. He wanted to forgo the conditioner and just get her to bed, but she pouted something about her hair getting tangled if he didn't so he conceded.

Once she was dried off and had her teeth brushed, a necessity that she insisted on, he walked her to the bed where she fell against it softly. He was shivered slightly due to his cold wet clothes, but she was the priority at the moment, as she was at every moment he was breathing.

"Come to bed," she requested softly as her eyes closed as he pulled the covers up and over her body.

"In a few minutes," he nodded as he brushed her wet strands of hair away from her face, "Get some sleep. I'll be right here if you need me."

"I always need you," she mumbled as she fell asleep. He wasn't even sure that she realized what she had said as her breathing evened out quickly. Normally she took a while to fall asleep, but tonight was anything but a normal night.

"I won't be far," he whispered softly so she would hear if she was awake which he highly doubted before he kissed her forehead and returned to the bathroom to rid himself of his dripping wet clothes to take a hot shower to warm his body.

Blair continued to sleep soundly as he moved about their bedroom after his shower was finished. He quietly moved leather armchair next to her so he could sit for a while and watch her sleep. He suddenly remembered watching some cheesy old movie with Blair once in which the main male lead realized that he was in love with the heroine after he was content spending the night merely watching her sleep. While he'd already knew he was in love with Blair, he finally understood the line from the movie.

Hearing his stomach's loud growl brought him out of his trance as he realized that he hadn't eaten since Eugenia brought him lunch earlier that day.

It was nearly midnight now. He was amazed his stomach had held off as long as it did. He checked to make sure she was still asleep before then he ventured into the kitchen hoping that their chef had left some leftovers or other suitable food for him to snack on.

Sandwiches were Chuck's usual late night snacks, and he was lucky that their staff kept those ingredients on hand for him. After putting his dinner together, he brought it into his office so that he could do some research on his computer. He was out of his element, and he desperately needed to level the playing field.

* * *

"What are you doing?" Blair inquired as she stumbled into his office a few hours later with her blue satin robe closed tight around her waist. Her hair was in slight disarray but she still looked breathtaking in Chuck's eyes.

"Working," he stated as he reached out to turn his computer monitor off as she came around his desk to sit into his lap. She reached out and turned his monitor back on to see that he had been researching bulimia.

"Working?" she repeated as she lifted her eyebrow as she slid into his lap.

"I don't know how to help you," he admitted as he slumped back in his chair and he tried to rub the kink out of his neck with one hand as his other hand went to her waist, "I don't know enough about this."

"It's not your fault," she stated as she brushed his hand away so that she could massage the kink out herself, "You didn't do anything to trigger this."

"Even if I didn't, I feel so helpless right now," he admitted as his eyes closed reflectively under her gentle touch, "You got me through the darkness that threatened to consume me during the anniversary of my father's death and then through Christmas where the pain almost took me over again. It's my turn to help you."

"We're not keeping score, Chuck," she insisted as she ran her hands through the hair at the nape of his neck, tugging gently at the ends.

"No, we're not," he agreed, "But you need me right now. I need to figure out what I can do."

"Just be there for me when I need you. I can take care of the rest," she stated, "Tomorrow, I'll call Doctor Boyd and schedule a therapy session."

"And I'll go with you," Chuck announced.

"You have work tomorrow," she stated as she shook her head.

"No, I don't," he insisted as he nodded his, "I'm going to take tomorrow off."

"What about your business deal?" she insisted.

"It can wait one day," he assured her, "Remember what I told you when I first took the helm. You are the most important thing in my world, way more important than any business deal."

"But this deal is _the deal_," she continued to insist, "You've worked for months to make this happen."

"And it can wait one more day," he held his ground as he caressed her silk covered shoulder softly, "If my being out of the office for one day blows this deal, then it wasn't a solid investment anyways."

"Thank you," she stated as she leaned in to kiss him. He knew that she was giving up her fight to make him go to work. She didn't want to admit that she really did want him there until after he insisted that he would be. "Take me to bed."

"Are you sure?" he inquired as he heard the seductive way in which she made the request. "You were very tired earlier in the shower; you could barely keep yourself standing. I'm not so sure that us making love is a good idea right now."

"I've taken my nap," she tried to assure him, "I had a very romantic dinner planned until I went and ruined it."

"You didn't ruin it," he tried to assure her.

"Yes, I did," she nodded, "Neither of us was able to enjoy the dinner our well-paid chef made for us."

He lifted his eyebrow at her curiously.

"Yes, I ate it all, but I didn't actually taste it. I was too busy stuffing it in as fast as I could," she blushed.

"If you want to talk about what happened, I'll listen," he told her as his hands skimmed up her thighs. He knew he wouldn't understand what happened, but he wanted to give her the option of talking if she needed it.

"I don't want to talk about it right now. I'll talk it through tomorrow," she stated as her arms came around his neck, "Right now, I want to make love to you."

"We don't have to," Chuck tried to assured her as he brushed her hair away from her shoulder as he traced her collarbone with his forefinger through the smooth fabric of her robe.

"All I wanted for spring break was to lay on a beach with you and make love the entire time. I don't have the beach, but I have you, and we both know you are more than capable," she smiled as his hand loosened the tie at her waist. Chuck was left momentarily breathless as her body was revealed to him. She felt his body responded to her immediately as her robe fell to the floor.

"Always with you, Waldorf," he smirked as he lifted her into his arms and carried her off to bed. A plan popped into his head, but he'd wait until tomorrow to put it into action. Tonight he would focus on her and make sure that she knew how much he loved her, flaws and all.

**TBC. . .**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. They belong to Cecily von Zeigesar and The CW.**

**Thank you to all of you who provided the wonderful reviews. I hope everyone is enjoying the new season of Gossip Girl.**

"Good morning, Baby," Chuck whispered softly to a still sleeping Blair as he walked into their bedroom with a tray of breakfast in his hands. On the tray were her favorite breakfast items along with a single red rose in a crystal vase that he had gone out and purchased himself first thing that morning.

Blair mumbled something incoherent in her sleep and then rolled onto her side to continue her dream. She had a warm smile on her face, so he knew it was a happy dream that he waited interrupting. He knew it had to be done.

He quickly set the tray down on the floor before he leaned over her and whispered into her ear, his lips grazing the shell of her ear as he spoke, "Blair, Sweetheart, it's time to wake up."

"Go away," she mumbled as she pushed him away playfully as she tried to hold onto the dream she was having.

"Never," he whispered as he kissed the spot just below her ear before blazing a trail down her jaw. Her head turned slightly to aid his path before he captured her lips.

"You've been awake for a while," she concluded as she opened her eyes to see him already dressed for the day as she pulled him to her for another kiss.

"A few hours," he confirmed as he picked up the tray of food off the floor and waited for her to sit up so that he could set it before her. In truth, he hadn't really gone to sleep. He was working on less than a few hours of sleep. "First things first. You have to eat this and keep it down."

She pouted at his reminder. She had been hoping that the memories from the previous day had been a bad dream, but the concerned look on his face told her that it was anything but. The rose on her tray instantly lifted her spirits.

"I took the liberty of calling Doctor Boyd and making you an appointment at nine," he stated. She looked at him curious as to how he even knew how to contact the doctor but then she remembered that he still had a private investigator on his payroll. She knew that he wasn't having her tailed, but he wouldn't hesitate to use the man if it was for Blair's benefit.

"Are you still coming with?" she inquired as she began to eat a piece of the fruit on her tray. She was famished, but she knew she had to eat slowly or it could trigger another run to the bathroom.

"I called Eugenia this morning to let her know that I wouldn't be coming into the office," he nodded, "She's concerned about you."

"You told her," Blair responded. He couldn't decide if she sounded angry or embarrassed.

"I only told her than you weren't feeling well," he assured her, "I didn't tell her what happened, although I think you should call Eleanor."

"No," Blair snapped as she shook her head, "She doesn't need to know anything about this."

"Blair, she's your mother," Chuck stated, "She'll find out that you went to see the doctor eventually. The bills still go to her."

"Unless you pay for it yourself," she prompted him.

"You know that I wouldn't hesitate to spend my entire fortune to help you, but Blair, you need to tell her," Chuck insisted, "If you won't call her, will you please call Serena."

"Why do you keep insisting that I tell someone?" she pressed. She knew this wasn't like him. He never asked for help unless it was unavoidable.

"Because I'm in over my head," he admitted as he sat next to her, "They've been through this with you before. They know what you need."

"Chuck, they can't do anything that you aren't already doing," she assured him as she reached out to caress his clean shaven face, savoring how smooth and silky his skin felt against her finger tips.

"I'm not doing anything," he spoke softly as he captured her hand and kissed each finger tip.

"You're making me eat. You're taking me to see the doctor. That is all that Eleanor or Serena ever did. Besides you're doing something else that neither of them ever have," she stated as she offered him a strawberry from her tray which he gently encouraged her to eat instead.

"And what is that?" he inquired curiously as he lifted an eyebrow as he awaited her response.

"You put me before everything else in your life," she stated, "Eleanor's designs are always more important than I am. Serena's focus is always on whatever crisis or romance is occurring. You drop everything when I need you. You're in the middle of probably the biggest deal of your life, but you still took a day off work because you know that I need you, and I love you for that."

"I love you too," he stated as he leaned in to kiss her before he encouraged her to continue eating. She had to get dressed for her appointment, and he knew that she needed to concentrate on her eating at the moment. His hours of research told him that.

* * *

"I'll be waiting right here," Chuck assured Blair as the nurse called her into the doctor's office. She wanted him with her, but her doctor had always made a point of speaking to her alone before he allowed anyone else to join the session. Blair leaned in to kiss him before she stood up and followed the nurse. She turned around momentarily to see Chuck pull out his Blackberry, clearly checking his emails from the office to make sure that he wasn't missing anything important. She felt so guilty for making him miss the day of work. When he saw her staring at him, he gave her a smile of encouragement and waited for her to enter her doctor' office before he returned to his tasks on his phone.

"Ms. Waldorf, how are you doing today?" Doctor Boyd asked as she entered his office and greeted her with a handshake and a concerned smile.

"I've been better," she admitted as she took a seat in the slightly uncomfortable leather chair, "But I've been worse."

"It has been awhile," he stated as he looked at her chart to refresh his memory, "Over eighteen months in fact."

"And I was doing really well," Blair nodded, "I went through so many stressful times during that period and managed to get through them without any issues, but something in me just snapped yesterday. I don't even know how it happened."

"Let's start with yesterday," Doctor Boyd prompted her, "Tell me about your day."

"Well, I woke up early because my boyfriend was getting ready for work, and I wanted to talk to him before he left for the day," Blair began. In actuality they had made love twice before he left for the office, but she felt safe in skipping that detail.

"Is this still Nate Archibald?" he asked for clarification as he again looked at his notes.

"NO!" Blair gasped in surprise. That relationship suddenly felt like it happened ages ago. "We are so far beyond Nate."

"We'll come back to that issue, but please continue on with your day," he encouraged her.

"Well, after Chuck left for the office, I went back to sleep for a few hours. When I woke up again, I had breakfast, fresh fruit and a blueberry muffin (she knew her doctor would want that detail). Everything was going along fine. Since its spring break at NYU and I couldn't go anywhere, I decided to get a head start on a term paper I have due at the end of the semester. Around one, I got hungry, so I had our chef make me lunch, a spinach and strawberry salad with grilled chicken. The strawberries were actually really fresh because they are in season in Florida, so it was wonderful.

"After lunch, I went back to working on my term paper until I was notified by the doorman that I had a certified letter waiting at the desk. When I went down to get it, I noticed immediately that it was from Yale. I found it extremely odd because I'd been rejected a year earlier," she explained.

"Yale was your dream," the doctor prompted, "How did being rejected make you feel?"

"Horrible," she stated, "It was a very dark time for me. I began lashing out at anyone and everyone that I thought had anything to do with my rejection, my friends, my teachers, everyone, but now I realize that it was actually a very good thing for me. While I thought I was lowering myself by going to NYU, it has become the perfect place for me. All the pressure and expectations of Yale would have been too much to live up to."

"Then why the letter from Yale?" he inquired curiously.

"Without my knowledge, my mother had apparently submitted an application to Yale on my behalf. The letter was to inform me of my acceptance," she explained.

"And was that good news for you?" he asked.

"No," Blair stated definitively, "I knew that I could have applied to Yale after I received my grades for the first semester at NYU. It was a conscious decision on my part not to. The letter was like a slap in the face. I wasn't good enough for them last year, but now suddenly I was. I still don't understand that."

"What did you do after receiving the letter?" he inquired.

"I went back to my term paper and tried to forget about it," she stated, "Then when I was getting ready for dinner, I saw the letter again. I took it in my hand and crumpled it up. I wanted to throw it into the trash immediately. The stupid thing even gave me a paper cut. Then I called my mother and began yelling at her for what she did.

"She tried to defend her actions, saying that she was doing what she thought that I wanted. She just doesn't seem to accept the fact that I am happy with my life at the moment. Things are so much better than they have ever been," Blair stated.

"After the phone call?" he prompted.

"After the call, Chuck called me to tell me that he was on his way home," she stated, "I went to the chef and had him prepare the meal that I had planned, rack of lamb, rice pilaf, and julienned snow peas and carrots, one of his favorite dishes. It took Chuck a little longer than I had expected for him to get home, and I didn't want all the food to go to waste, so I began eating my dinner. I don't even remember the point where I got out of control and devoured both my dinner and his," she explained.

"Were you upset that it took him longer than usual to get home?" Doctor Boyd asked.

"No," she answered honestly. She even surprised herself with her answer. "I know how it can be for him when he's trying to leave the office. He's always getting pulled a million different directions. It's amazing sometimes that he makes it home at all."

"Do you feel like he spends too much time at work and not enough time with you?" Doctor Boyd pressed.

"You're focusing on the wrong issue," Blair stated in frustration, "My relationship with Chuck is not the issue."

"Can you tell me what you think the issue is?" Doctor Boyd asked.

"The issue is my mother thinking that I don't know what is best for me," she stated, her voice raising as the anger built within her, "I mean how dare my mother do something like this without even asking me."

"What about Chuck?" Doctor Boyd inquired, "Does he do things without asking you?"

"Stop making this about Chuck!" she shouted, "He is not the issue! Quit trying to make him the issue! Chuck is the one person in my life that I can count on!"

He made notes in her chart and returned to the topic of her mother. "Have you told your mother about what happened yesterday?"

"Why would I tell her?" Blair snapped, her temper still not under control from her earlier shouting, "So what if I got into Yale. So what if it threw me into another bulimic episode. It's really none of her business. I'm her daughter when it's convenient for her to have one. The horror she must be feeling when people who know that she has a daughter attending college to have to tell them that she's going to NYU."

"You think you disappoint your mother, don't you," he stated.

"I know I disappoint her," Blair laughed sarcastically, "She has no problem pointing that out to me. Isn't all of this in your notes somewhere? My mother issues are nothing new. We've discussed this before."

"But she appears to be the trigger that set you off this time," he stated, "Perhaps you need to confront her about that."

"We're not speaking at the moment," Blair announced as she looked down at her hands that were folded in her lap.

"Is that because of the phone call you had with her yesterday?" he asked.

"No, it happened before I knew about any of this," she explained, "Chuck and I were having dinner with her and her new husband, Cyrus, and she was on me about needing to spend more time at her penthouse. I fired back about there being no point because she was never there anyways. She basically called me a high priced prostitute. I fired back about her not being woman enough to keep my father interested so he had to go find what he needed with a man. It went downhill from there. I pulled Chuck out of the penthouse, and I hadn't heard or talked to her until I called her yesterday, furious with what she had done."

"Do you think she applied to Yale for you to hurt you? Or perhaps she thought that it was what you wanted?" Doctor Boyd asked.

"I don't know," she groaned in frustration, "Even if she did do it with good intentions, she should have spoken with me about it. Had she made the effort, she would have known that it wasn't what I wanted. That's always seems to be our problem. We don't communicate with each other. We just do things thinking that it is what the other would want us to do."

"Do you want to blame her for your episode yesterday?" he asked.

"Yes," she sighed, "I want to blame her. It's easier to blame her. If I blame her, I don't have to take responsibility for what happened. In truth, I did this. I picked up the fork. I shoveled the food into my mouth. I threw it back up."

"That's a big step up from where we used to be," Doctor Boyd announced as he made another note in her file. "Tell me about your relationship with Chuck."

Blair sighed happily as she started at the very beginning of their story. The doctor continued to make notes as Blair talked. He didn't interrupt her as she spoke. She didn't seem to need any prodding. Blair didn't shy away from any of the bad things either.

"Well, that's all the time that we have for today," Doctor Boyd announced as they closed their session, "I think we should meet weekly for a few months to get you back on track. As when this happened before, I'd like you to keep a journal of your thoughts throughout the day. Write down anything that triggers a thought of your bulimia, good or bad. If you have another episode, call me immediately."

"I will," Blair assured him as she took the card that he was handing her with all of his contact numbers.

"If you can arrange it, I'd like for Mister Bass and your mother to attend your next session," he stated. He saw the hesitation in Blair's face. "It's important to your recovery."

"I'll think about it," she agreed as he showed her out of her office and into the waiting room where Chuck was still scrolling through his Blackberry just as she had left him an hour earlier.

"How did it go?" Chuck inquired as he stood up upon seeing her approach. He leaned in to kiss her gently just before he noticed that someone was behind her.

"It went okay," she shrugged.

"You must be Mister Bass," Doctor Boyd stated as he extended his hand to the young man.

"I am," Chuck confirmed as he firmly shook the older man's hand before he wrapped the same arm around Blair's waist and pulled her close. She seemed a little shaky at the moment. He hoped it was from unloading during the therapy session and not a physical problem, "Is Blair going to be okay?"

"She has some work to do," Doctor Boyd replied, "But I'm confident she'll be as good as new very soon. If it's possible, I'd like you to join Ms. Waldorf at our session next week."

"If you're too busy with work, I'll understand," Blair added quickly as she leaned her head against his shoulder as she melted further into his embrace.

"I'll be here," Chuck assured both of them as he kissed her forehead, "Just tell me when."

"See my assistant on your way out. She can schedule the appointment," Doctor Boyd instructed as he shook Chuck's hand again before he left. He went into his office and quickly jotted down his observation on Blair and Chuck's comfortable exchange. Chuck was her safe place, he added.

"You really don't have to be there," Blair insisted as he hugged her. Her mood seemed to be lifting and the shakiness he sensed was leaving.

"Stop," he stated as he ushered her towards the reception desk so she could schedule her next appointment, "I'm going to be there."

Blair and Chuck then had the arduous task of trying to find an appointment time that would work around both of their hectic schedules. Realizing that it was impossible, Chuck told Blair to pick a day that would work with her schedule. When she did, he called Eugenia and had her clear his schedule for the necessary time, and then they were on their way to the Central Park. He wanted to take Blair for a stroll by the pond. He had his driver purchase a loaf of bread while they were in with the doctor, and he handed it to Blair and told her that she should feed the ducks. The smile that lit up her face was worth the hour of boredom he experienced while waiting for Blair's session to end.

**TBC. . .**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. They belong to Cecily von Zeigesar and The CW.**

"Why are you stalling?" Blair inquired as they were ushered to their seat at the upscale restaurant that Chuck had chosen to take her to for lunch. He could see that she was hesitant about eating in public, but he convinced the maitre d' to set them up in a private room so that they could take their time.

"I'm not stalling," he responded defensively as he held out the chair for her before he unbuttoned his suit jacket and took at seat in the chair across from her.

"You asked me what I wanted to do after we finished feeding the ducks at Central Park. I said I wanted to go back to the penthouse and curl up with you while we watched 'Breakfast at Tiffany's'. Instead, you take me here," she stated as she began perusing the menu looking for the most expensive item, merely to spite him.

"Tiffany's will be there when we're finished," he assured her. He felt a vibration in his pocket which he knew Blair heard, but he made the decision to ignore it. He continued to scan the menu looking for a suitable lunch option.

"Do you need to get that?" Blair inquired, as another buzz filled the quiet room almost immediately after the first series of buzzes stopped.

"I'm sorry," he responded as his took her hand and kissed it as his eyes gave her an apologetic look, "Eugenia promised she wouldn't bother me unless it was important. This will only take a moment."

She nodded in understanding as he stood up from the table. As he left the room, he kissed her forehead and pointed to an item on her menu to have her order for him. She smiled as his fingers trailed her shoulder as he walked away. His lingering touch told her that he hated to part with her even for a few moments.

Once their order had been placed, Blair was left alone to sit and wait for Chuck's return. She thought about reaching for her phone to text Serena, but she didn't want to disrupt her best friend's vacation. She didn't even know what she would text Serena about. She certainly wouldn't tell her about what had happened the previous day. That wasn't something appropriate to be texted. That was more of a person to person conversation. She just wanted something to do while she waited for Chuck to return.

The French waiter returned quickly with the salads that had been ordered and began flirting with Blair. She began shifting uncomfortably in her chair with each moment the man continued to linger. Not only was his accent making it difficult for her to understand him, but he was standing over her, looking down at such an angle that she knew he had a good view of her cleavage. She could tell that he was undressing her with his eyes as she did her best to cover herself. She was already self conscious about her appearance at the moment as she always was when the bulimia was at the forefront of her thoughts.

Thankfully Chuck announced his entrance with a clearing of his throat. The waiter jumped from fright and then quickly backed a safe distance away.

"We'd like a different waiter to finish our service," Chuck announced, his voice angry and annoyed as he motioned for the man to leave. The sleazy waiter left in a huff muttering in his native language things that Blair easily translated about how that he'd just ruined his chance for a very generous tip and a chance to get laid by a beautiful brunette. She couldn't help but smirk as she translated for Chuck. He grinned with the confidence that he had made his point. It wasn't going to stop him from having a scathing conversation with the manager the next day, but at least for now, Blair could eat and feel comfortable.

"Thank you," Blair stated as he returned to the table, his lips kissing her shoulder softly before he took his seat as she picked up her fork.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have left you alone for so long," Chuck stated as he reached across the table for her free hand, "But I have wonderful news."

"Really," she prompted with intrigue as she tried to push the thoughts of the sleazy waiter out of her mind.

"We've finally closed the deal," he stated smugly, "Turns out that my taking the day off was a good thing. The negotiator for the other party was the father of one of our schoolmates that I'd slept with, and he was purposely holding up the deal as payback for breaking his poor princess's heart. When I wasn't at the table, he couldn't find another reason to stall. The other party had apparently agreed to our first proposal and was itching to announce the deal. The announcement is going to be made this afternoon."

"That's fantastic," Blair smiled brightly in pride.

"This also means that I can take the rest of the week off," he stated, "The jet can be ready to leave in an hour. Where would you like to go? I'll take you anywhere your heart desires."

"Back to our penthouse," she stated as she took a bite of her salad.

"I thought you wanted a tropical vacation," he frowned slightly. He hadn't expected to get the response that he received.

"It's already Tuesday. We've already missed four days of the break," she shrugged.

"Blair, it's _only_ Tuesday," he corrected her, "We still have five days to enjoy the sun, sand, and each other."

"I'd rather stay home," she shrugged once more as she took another bite.

"Is this about what happened yesterday?" he inquired curiously. Something was causing her to hesitate, and it wasn't because they only had five days. They'd flown to tropical destinations before for long weekends when she had a break from school.

"Yes," she nodded as she put her fork down as she decided her salad wasn't all that appealing.

"Talk to me," he requested as he pulled her from her chair to come sit in his lap.

"I'm not so sure that some tropical island where it's required that I wear a skimpy bikini around other people is such a good idea right now," she explained as her head fell forward as she avoided his stare.

"You have no reason to be ashamed," he assured her as he lifted her chin, "Blair, you're beautiful, every inch of you."

"You're bias," she smiled shyly.

"You don't really believe that I'm the only one that sees that," he frowned, "Do you hear the men talk as you walk past on the street? It takes every ounce of strength that I have some times to not turn around and slug them for the inappropriate comments, but trust me, Baby, they think you're beautiful."

"That's really sweet of you to say," Blair responded as she averted her gaze once more.

"Where is this coming from, Blair?" he inquired as he tried to maneuver himself so she couldn't avoid looking at him, "Where is my amazingly confident sexy girlfriend?"

"She's hiding out at the moment," she responded as she buried her face in the crook of his neck, "These feelings are things that I keep buried deep, but when they come out, it's hard to bury them once more."

"Then let's not bury them," he stated as his hands began to roam her body hungrily, "Let's get rid of them once and for all. Blair, I love you . . . everything about you, your smile, your laugh, your annoying need to always be right, the manipulative streak that rivals my own, and of course your amazingly beautiful body. I wouldn't change one thing about you. The feelings that your naked flesh inspires in me are too overwhelming to put into words. There is a reason that we make love virtually everyday, and it has nothing to do with my famous libido. It's all you, Blair."

She leaned in to capture his lips, silencing him before he could continue. "I get your point, Bass," she assured him while she took in a raspy breath of air as his hand closed over one breast, "You think I'm perfect."

"Neither of us is perfect," he stated as he looked at her hungrily, "But we're perfect for each other. That's all that matters."

"That's a good line, Bass," she smirked as she leaned into his lips again as he continued caressing her softly. A pleasurable sigh escaped her lips as his thumb grazed her nipple through the fabric of her blouse.

Chuck wanted to take her at that moment, but he fought himself on it. She needed to settle into a rhythmic eating pattern, so he forced himself to return his hands to the more neutral position at her waist. "Blair, why don't you finish your salad," he suggested as he reluctantly broke free of their kiss.

She nodded as she reached over the table for her salad. She didn't want to leave his lap, so she ate while seated on top of him. Their new waiter looked at them curiously as he brought in their main entrée, but didn't say a word other than to ask if they needed anything else at the moment. Chuck gave him fifty dollars to buy his discretion and told the man to check on them in thirty minutes. The man's eyes went wide as he nodded.

"I love how you just throw money around all the time," she laughed out as soon as they were alone once more.

"If there was one thing that Bart taught me, it was that I could get anything that I wanted by throwing money at it," Chuck smirked.

**TBC . . . **


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. They belong to Cecily von Zeigesar and The CW.**

"Now, you really are stalling," Blair announced as he had his driver drive around Central Park a few times hoping that she wouldn't notice. Naturally, she noticed almost immediately. "Why can't we go home?"

"We will soon," he assured her as he took her hand and kissed it lightly.

"Tiffany's is calling," she stated impatiently as she turned her head away from him when he leaned it to kiss her. He was hoping that he'd be able to distract her enough to get a few more laps around Central Park in without her noticing, but of course she was going to be difficult.

"Come on, Blair," he chuckled as she continued to try and avoid his advances, "You've never rejected me before, you certainly aren't going to start right now."

"I've gone through a very traumatic experience in the past twenty-four hours," she stated in a very matter-of-fact tone of voice, "Making love to you might slow down my recovery."

"You're so full of it," he laughed out as he saw the twinkle of amusement in her eyes, "I can't believe you're trying to use this as a way to get out of making love you to me."

"You're stalling," she insisted, "Until you tell me why, I want 'Breakfast at Tiffany's'."

"Why can't you let me plan something special for you without you ruining it?" he inquired as he watched her cross her arms over her chest as she began to pout. Even her pout was sexy to him. there should be some sort of law against that.

"I didn't know you were planning something special for me," she continued to pout, "This is the first that I'm hearing of it."

"Well, now you're hearing about it," he responded as he reached out to slide her across the leather seat to pull her close, "Now get yourself into my lap so that I can make love to you. I know you want me as much as I want you."

"I hate that you're right," she grumbled as her lips crashed against his, her tongue invading his mouth as she warred with him for control as she climbed into his lap as he requested. A hiss escaped from her lips at the bulge she felt against her lower abdomen.

"Were you really serious about making love slowing down your recovery?" he inquired as he pulled away to assure that she was okay with them proceeding down their current path, "Because if you were, we can just drive around the park a few more times and enjoy the scenery. I only need thirty minutes or so before my surprise is ready."

"I wasn't serious," she smirked as she began to nibble on his neck, inhaling his cologne as she went. She loved how he smelled, a subtle spice just like his personality, "Making love to you will actually aid in my recovery. I never feel more self confident than when I'm in your arms."

"Then we need to spend the rest of your break in bed," he smirked slyly as he leaned his head back against the headrest behind him to give Blair better access, "You'll be recovered in no time."

"I wish that was true," she sighed as she paused her lips at the pulse point of his neck, her lips resting against him as she measured his heart rate as it began its familiar acceleration at her hand, "I'll never be completely recovered."

"Whatever it takes, Blair, we're going to get you better," Chuck assured her as he gently tilted her head up so she could look into his eyes to see the reassuring way that he looked at her.

"I feel better," she responded as she resumed her path along his neck up towards his ear where she began to blow lightly, "Today I feel better because I have you with me."

"Should we talk about Yale?" he inquired as a moan escaped from his throat.

"There is nothing to talk about," she snapped as she bit down a little harder on his earlobe than she had originally intended, "And you're ruining the mood with all this talk."

"You're avoiding the issue," he replied calmly as he stilled her movements, "You got into Yale. This is huge. This has been your dream for as long as I've known you. I want you to consider it."

"I did consider it," she assured him, "After I received my grades for first semester, I did think it over. Yale isn't for me. I think that actually might be the worst place for me right now."

"Blair, if this is about us . . ." he began.

"It's not," she cut him off after silence him with a scorching kiss, "I know we'd be fine. We'd be the horniest two people, but our relationship would be fine. I think that Yale would be too much pressure for me. Besides, I don't know that Yale has the curriculum that I'm looking for anymore."

"You're a liberal arts major," he sighed, "That's Yale's bread and butter."

"I've been thinking about changing my major," she announced.

"Really," he responded as he eyed her curiously, "Why is this the first that I'm hearing about this?"

"I've been thinking about it for a little while, but I really only came to the conclusion a few days ago," she explained.

"What conclusion did you come to?" he inquired with a curious smirk as his hands began to roam her thighs softly.

"Fashion design," she announced.

Chuck didn't seem as surprised by her announced as she thought that he might be. He merely smirked as he kissed her. "You'll be an amazing designer."

"Do you think so?" she inquired as she pulled away to look into his eyes to see the sincerity in them.

"I know so," he nodded, "That dress you made for Thanksgiving was incredible, and your sense of style has always been impeccable. You know the business because of your mother's involvement. And you're Blair Waldorf, you can do anything you set your mind to."

"I just need to learn how to sew," she sighed.

"Which I'm sure Dorota will be happy to teach you," he chuckled softly.

"Do you really think I could do this?" she inquired as she leaned in to begin kissing him again.

"Of course," he nodded, "You got me to commit to a monogamous relationship, didn't you? That was no small feat."

"Don't remind me," she groaned as the images began to flood her thoughts. What a arduous and often painful process that had been, but she was quick to realize that what they currently had made it worth the effort, "You definitely were my biggest challenge."

"And hopefully your most rewarding," he grinned.

"Absolutely," she agreed as she began to unbutton his dress shirt as she began blazing a path down his chest with her lips as each button came open.

The limo stopped suddenly and Chuck heard his driver get out of the vehicle and began making his way around to open the door for them. Looking out the window he realized that they were parked in front of their building. Eugenia must have called Arthur to tell him the surprise was ready.

"Blair, you have to stop," he groaned just as she was about to loosen the buttons on his trousers. He could see Arthur standing patiently at their door, waiting for a sign that it was safe to open. He'd learned his lesson very early on not to open the door until he was told to do so.

"You don't mean that," she teased as she kept her mind on her task, completely clueless that they'd stopped or that Arthur was right outside. He never put the brakes on their love making, which convinced her that he wouldn't now.

"Blair, you're killing me here," he hissed as his head fell back against the seat. He heard her giggle as she continued with her task, nearly finished by that point. He was trying to summons the willpower to stop her, but he was fighting a losing battle. He'd have to get her to but the brakes on herself. "Your surprise is ready."

Blair had been ready to completely remove his pants when he spoke. Her hands froze, and he could see her contemplating on whether to continue along their current path or whether to abandon her mission so she could see the surprise he had in store for her. He smiled when he realized that curiosity appeared to be winning.

"I never thought you'd stop me from seducing you," she smirked as she began re-buttoning his shirt, leaving him to take care of the trousers. She would have changed her mind if she'd attempted it. "First Christmas Day and now today. Are pigs flying overhead?"

"If you recall, Christmas Day, I wasn't successful in stopping you. We made love three times with your family right outside my office," he smirked. He saw the look of mortification on her face as she recalled the final time they'd make love during their party in which she embarrassed herself by calling out to him loud enough for her family and friends to hear.

"Today, you'll be successful," she smirked as she slid away from him to straighten herself out so that she was presentable. She hadn't even realized that her dress had been hiked up around her waist and her stockings had been slid down. Had she done that or had he?

"For which my groin is furious with me," he chuckled as he tucked in his shirt while he waited for her to put her stocking back into place. Once he was sure that she was presentable, he knocked on the glass window which was Arthur's cue to open the door. Chuck quickly stepped out of the vehicle and turned to help her out, positioning her in front of him to hide the erection from the people on the street. She gave him a knowing smirk as they entered his building. They could barely keep their hands off each other as they rode the elevator up.

"You have to close your eyes," Chuck stated as the elevator chimed their arrival to the penthouse. As the doors slide open he quickly used his hands to cover her eyes as she looked determined to protest his request. They took several steps into the penthouse before Chuck lowered his hands and allowed her to look.

All of the furniture in their main living room had been removed. The hardwood floor had been covered with at least a foot of sand and palm trees were strategically placed around the room. A soundtrack of beach noises was playing softly and sun chairs and beach towels were laid out for them.

"You don't want to go to a tropical destination, so I thought I'd bring the tropics to you," he explained as she looked at him in stunned silence.

"Oh, my god, Chuck, this is incredible!" she exclaimed as she stepped closer to the sand and ran her fingers through it, "How did you do this?"

"Do you really need to ask that question?" he scoffed as he pretended to be offended, "I'm Chuck Bass, I can make anything happen."

"I don't know what to say," the words tumbled out as she tried to search her brain for the right words to describe how amazing his gesture was to her.

"I won't take all of the credit," he replied, "My assistant did all of the dirty work. I merely came up with the idea. I think Eugenia is some sort of miracle worker. She was able to pull this all off inside of the few hours that I gave her. I only called her this morning while waiting at the doctor's office for you to finish your session. Not to mention, she still was on top of things at the office to contact me when my deal went through. That woman is getting an enormous raise when I return to the office on Monday."

"You'd better watch yourself, Bass," Blair chuckled, "Eugenia's going to be richer than you if you're not careful."

"How did you and I survive without her for nineteen years?" he thought out loud as he watched her take off her shoes and stockings and dip her recently manicured toes into the sand.

"This is going to be a nightmare to clean," she announced as she squished the sand with her toes.

"We'll just have to move to the Palace for a few days while I hire a super duty cleaning crew to come in and clean the place from top to bottom," he shrugged. He didn't care how much it cost. The current smile on her face was worth every penny. "Now are you going to go change into some skimpy Brazilian bikini or am I going to have to use my imagination?"

She put out her arms to him so that he could lift her out of the sand.

"I have the perfect scrap of fabric that I know you'll enjoy," she teased as he carried her in his arms all the way to their bedroom.

"I should hope so because you left me high and dry in the limo, and I am now in desperate need of release. Taking you on a sandy beach has been a fantasy of mine for a long time," he grinned as they crossed the threshold to their bedroom.

"Do you need the release first, or can you wait for me to change?" she inquired as she eyed their bed.

"I'll risk waiting as long as you agree to wear that fire engine red bikini that you have stashed in your lingerie drawer that you don't think I know about," he smirked.

"Have you been sifted through my lingerie again?" she laughed out.

"I wanted to make sure that you're supply hasn't dwindled," he grinned slyly, "I have been known to shred a few garments in the heat of the moment."

"Put me down," she requested as she squirmed in his arms, "Your fire engine red bikini is waiting."

**TBC . . .**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. They belong to Cecily von Zeigesar and The CW.**

**Awe!!!! I got my first community add. I'm so happy! On with the show.**

Chuck realized very quickly that he needed to leave Blair alone in the bedroom to change into her swimsuit. When she slipped out of her dress every inch of him was screaming to attack her. He heard her laughing as he closed and locked the bathroom door after quickly grabbing his swim trunks from his dresser drawer.

"Do you still want to watch Breakfast at Tiffany's'?" Chuck inquired as he found Blair already laying on a king size beach towel in the sand with a pair of sunglasses on her face to block out the non-existent rays of sunshine. He couldn't hide the smirk of amusement he felt upon his first glance of her in the red swimsuit. It perfectly complimented the navy suit with red trim that he was wearing. Even without trying, they always seemed to match each other.

"Maybe later," she stated as she raised her head off her towel to glance at him. She bit her lip as her eyes fell to his bare chest. Somehow over the past ten months of their relationship, his upper body had become more defined, more chisel. She didn't know how she could miss that. It couldn't have been from working out or lifting weights as she didn't think Chuck had ever stepped foot inside a gym for any reason other than to watch a sporting event. Even that seemed a little beneath him.

"What are you thinking about Waldorf?" he inquired as he laid out on other half of the beach towel she was on. She had a curious expression on her face that Chuck was dying to identify. He was pretty good at reading her facial expressions, but this one had him stumped.

"Does Bass Industries have a fitness center?" she asked as she traced his jaw line with a finger.

"I think we might," he nodded after taking a moment to think about it, "Why would you even ask?"

"Because you must be working out," she stated as she ran her hands along his chest to emphasize the defining muscles.

"Every morning," he smirked as he flexed his arm to show off his bicep, "In bed with you."

"This can't be from me," she laughed, "You were just as sexually active before me."

"Not true," he scoffed, "You and I make love virtually every day. Even in my playboy hay days, I wasn't that lucky. Besides I had gotten lazy. I was letting the women do all the work."

"How about you sit back and let me do all the work for a change," Blair suggested as she rolled herself on top of him, sitting up so that her legs were straddling his waist.

"Blair, you're in my sunlight. I'm going to get tan lines," he smirked as his hands closed around the back of her thighs instantly.

"You make an excellent point," she replied as she reach around to her back and pulled the strings of the top she was wearing so that it fell away. Chuck's groan of appreciation encouraged her to continue. "I'd hate to return from our vacation with embarrassing tan lines." Her hands then trailed down her sides to her hips were the strings of her bikini bottoms were tied together. Chuck hissed as she pulled the scrap of fabric free so that she was now completely exposed to his appreciative stare.

Chuck's eyes went nearly black as his hands found her hips and spun them both so that he was on top. She may have wanted to do the work, but he was in no state to let her. She'd turned him on earlier and the inferno of his need for her couldn't be ignored any longer. His swim trunks were quickly discarded as he lived out his beach fantasy of making love to her in the sand.

"Someday we'll do this on a real beach," he announced as they curled together as the tried to regain their breath.

"After finals?" she inquired as she snuggled closer to him, "Maybe we can take a long weekend somewhere . . . hopefully secluded."

"That settles it. I'm buying us an island," he announced as his hand caressed her bare shoulder softly.

"Don't be ridiculous," she laughed, "It's just as easy to rent out an island."

"I don't rent anything, Blair," he announced.

"If you bought yourself an island, you'd have to develop it and maintain it. The development alone would probably take months if not years," she rationalized.

"Somewhere in your response you said if I bought myself an island. You misunderstood me," he wanted to clarify, "I would buy us an island. I'll even name you Queen . . . give you the proper title that you deserve."

"And I suppose you'll be the king," she laughed.

"Or the court jester, whichever you believe is more appropriate," he smirked.

"Are you really serious about this?" she inquired as she rolled on top of him again, pinning his shoulders to the soft sand beneath their blanket.

"Absolutely," he nodded before a devilish smirk appeared as he added, "Are you concerned about the money?"

"Money is the last thing I'm worried about with you," she scowled at him.

"I knew you loved me only for my money," he smirked.

"Chuck Bass, take that back right now," she demanded as she slapped his chest hard. This was not one of her playful slaps. The sound echoed through the room and a red handprint immediately sprung up where she had struck him.

"Damn it, Waldorf, that hurt," he exclaimed as he rubbed his chest in pain.

"Take it back," she demanded yet again as she hit him only slightly softer that time on the shoulder.

"Blair, stop that," he demanded as his voice grew angry as he captured her wrists in his hands.

"Take it back," she demanded one final time, struggling against his grasp. She was squirming against him, which naturally was turning him on, but there was only anger in her eyes. She was furious that he could even say such a thing to her.

"Waldorf, calm down," he insisted as he rolled them over so that he was now hovering above her. Her glare was still dangerous, and he feared that she was going to start trying to kick her way free from his grasp. That would end in agony for all parties as her knees were already dangerously close his favorite appendage.

"Get off of me," she growled at him as he held her arms tight.

"Calm down," he repeated softly, his tender eyes locking with hers. He couldn't help but wonder how this had gotten so out of control so fast. He made one teasing comment, and she had begun attacking him.

Blair's face was red with anger and her chest was heaving with rage, but she stopped fighting him.

"I know you love me for more than just my money," he assured her as he caressed her collarbone with his lips as he felt her calming down.

"I don't love you for your money, any part of your money," she amended, "I love you."

"I know," he nodded into her neck as he blazed a path from one shoulder to the other.

"Why did you say it then," she hissed as he bit down lightly on her other collarbone.

He could feel that she was working herself into an angry frenzy again, and he knew he had to stop her before she got to that place once again. He didn't know if he could fend her off a second time. "Blair, I was teasing you. I'd never accuse you of being a gold digger. I know you better than that."

"Don't say things like that again," she demanded as he relinquished his hold on her wrists. He felt guilt immediately at the red marks he'd left against her porcelain skin. He had to hope that she wouldn't bruise. He'd never forgive himself if he had bruised her.

"I won't," he assured her as his lips began to caress one wrist and then the other, hoping that the tenderness of his touch would make up for the harshness from moments earlier.

"I'm sorry I hit you so hard," she apologized as she placed her hand on his chest where the red outline perfectly framed her hand. "I should get you some ice."

"Could you add some scotch to it?" he grinned as she rolled herself out from underneath him and moved to stand up.

"No alcohol on the beach," she smirked as she tried to stand.

"You're asking for it," Chuck stated as he captured her wrist and pulled her back to the soft sand. She squealed with laughter as she fell with a gentle thud.

"No, I'm begging for it," she laughed as he rolled her under him once more, "Make love to me."

* * *

"I have sand in my hair and in every crevice of my body," Blair stated as he pulled her up from the sand after they had agreed to leave the beach for the afternoon. Somehow during their afternoon, they had rolled off the beach blanket they had been laying on while they'd made love and Blair's back had been covered with sand.

"I'll help you wash it off," he assured her as he pulled her immediately into their bathroom, "Bath or shower?"

"Both," she responded, "Shower to rinse, and then bath to relax. We haven't bathed together in awhile."

"And why is that?" he wondered aloud as he began to run the shower water to warm it up while Blair began filling their whirlpool tub. No matter how long they took with their shower, the bath would still be filling up. The tub was absolutely huge. They could easily fit four or five people in the thing.

"Because shower sex is hotter," she answered.

"We'll need to test that theory," he stated as he pulled her into the shower, rinsing her thoroughly of the sand with the shower head before he took his time in ravishing her. Upon finishing he announced, "Shower sex is going to be hard to beat."

"You up for testing that theory?" she teased as they stepped out of the shower and into the bathtub that had nearly finished filling.

"Give me a few minutes," he insisted as he sunk into the tub, "Despite evidence to the contrary, I'm not a sexual machine gun. I do need a few minutes to reload."

Blair laughed out as she slipped into the water with him. "I don't know if I've ever heard a reference like that before."

"Relax, Blair, I'll let you know when I'm ready," he assured her as his lips whispered against her ear as his hands gently caressed her abdomen. Blair closed her eyes and allowed the sensation of his touch take over as she relaxed herself against him.

His thoughts began to wander to the previous day. He kept searching through his conversations with her looking for some sort of hint that something had been wrong. Surely there must have been something that he had missed, some statement that told him that she was diving head first back into her bulimia.

They'd made love twice that morning before he had left for the office, and then she'd walked him to the elevator as he left for the day. He remembered kissing her goodbye, and they professed their love for each other just as the elevator doors closed.

She'd called later that morning after she woke up from her nap. He'd been busy with negotiations which he knew she sensed, but he still gave her five minutes of undivided attention. She gave him a rundown as to what she was going to do with her day. He listened happily and then filled her in on the tough negotiations he was going through before they hung up. She had been upbeat, cheerful even.

He'd called her during a fifteen minute break in negotiations. She had been studying, but she was happy to take a break and talk to him. She talked about what she wanted to do when finals were over . . . visit her father in France for a few days, vacation in Greece, and take part in an internship that one of her professors was helping her arrange. Their conversation was still happy and upbeat.

Their last conversation was just as he was leaving the office. She had been eager to greet him. She had planned a special dinner for him. Still nothing in her voice told him something was wrong. She didn't mention the letter or Yale at all.

He tried to rush out the door before one of his lawyers tracked him down with a last minute negotiation details. He hadn't been successful, as his chief counsel caught him at the elevator. He was sidetracked by twenty minutes. Then he insisted that Arthur stop at a flower shop so he could pick up a bouquet of flowers to make up for being so late, but that only sidetracked him for another five minutes.

When his thoughts turned to what happened when he stepped off the elevator, his entire body tensed.

"Is something wrong?" Blair asked as she felt him tense under her.

"What did I miss?" he inquired as he brushed the hair off his shoulder so that he kiss the nape of her neck, "What could I have done differently to stop what happened yesterday? There had to have been something."

"You didn't do anything wrong," she tried to assure him.

"I had to have done something or not done something," he insisted, "I should have sensed something wasn't right. Why didn't you tell me about Yale when we spoke?"

"It wasn't important to me," she sighed, "I'd made my decision already to reject their offer. I would have told you about it when you came home."

"Would you?" he inquired.

"Of course," she insisted, "We have no secrets from each other besides the playful ones that keep our relationship interesting."

He had tears in his eyes when she turned to look at him.

"Chuck, don't beat yourself up over this," she pleaded as she cradled his head in her hands, "Even if I had known something was wrong, I wouldn't have given you any sort of clue. Nobody knew how bad it got the first time, even Dorota. I'm good at hiding it . . . too good. You never would have known something was wrong."

"Was this really the first incident that you've had?" he pressed, "You haven't been hiding this from me all this time, have you?"

"No," she assured him, "And I'm determined to make this a onetime relapse, a onetime moment of weakness."

"Don't hide this from me," he requested, "If this happens again, please tell me. You know I'll never judge you. I only want to help you in any way that I can."

"I know," she replied as she kissed him. "Enough talk about this. I'm sure Doctor Boyd will insist on us talking through all this in therapy next week. I'm turning into a prune while waiting for you to reload. Are you about ready?"

"So impatient, my Queen," he smirked as she turned in the tub so that she was straddling him.

"Court Jester, I insist that you take me right this minute," she demanded, trying to sound as regal as Judi Dench in "Shakespeare in Love'.

"Whatever you command, my Queen," he responded with a full British accent, "I am but a humble servant. I will cater to your every wish and desire."

"Such a dangerous statement to make," Blair moaned as she felt him slide into her slowly, "I have many wishes and even more desires. How could you possibly satisfy them all?"

"Let's start with the most basic," Chuck stated as he dropped his accent as he pulled her hips firmly against him.

"I'm such a fool," she groaned as her head fell against his shoulder as he found her sweet spot.

"Fool for what?" he inquired.

"You are most definitely the king," she sighed as they continued to make love in the bathtub. Water began to slosh against the sides with their movements and spill over. Neither cared about the possible water damage or the slippery floor they were creating. All that matters was that they were together.

"I'm torn," Chuck announced as they finally pried themselves free of the tub to dry each other off. "I don't think I can choose between shower and bath sex."

"I guess we'll have to do more research," she announced as they made their way to their bed. They both fell asleep from exhaustion.

**TBC . . .**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. They belong to Cecily von Zeigesar and The CW.**

"Blair, you're not going to be happy with me," Chuck announced as they stepped off the elevator into her doctor's office the following week.

Blair had returned to school Monday morning and tried to act as if nothing had happened. All of her NYU friends were talking about the fabulous spring break adventures that they had. Blair happily chimed in with Chuck's beach surprise in their living room to which all her friends squealed with envy.

Wednesday after the one class she had that day had finished, she quickly dashed toward Arthur and the awaiting limo instead of her normal coffee with friends. She made up some excuse about a business lunch with Chuck. Arthur greeted her warmly as he held the door for her. They swung by Bass Industries to pick up Chuck who was impatiently waiting for them at the curb as he flipped through his Blackberry for messages Eugenia was sending him. He turned off his phone as soon as he slid into the limo so that he wouldn't be distracted during her therapy session.

Blair was a little more than frisky on the short ride to the doctor's office, but Chuck was able to keep his hormones in check.

"Why?" Blair inquired, "Do you need to go back to the office? It's okay if you do. I can do my session without you."

"No, I have all the time in the world for your session," he assured her before nodding in the direction of Eleanor who was waiting patiently for them to arrive. "You're not going to be happy with me because I called your mother."

"Chuck Bass, you are sleeping in the guest room tonight," she snarled as her mother stood to greet her with a hug. Blair tensed as her mother's arms came around her shoulders which didn't go unnoticed by Chuck.

"Blair, are you okay?" her mother asked, her voice dripping with concern.

"I'm fine," Blair snapped angrily at her mother as she glared evilly at Chuck. How dare he go behind her back and do something like this.

Fortunate for both Chuck and Eleanor, Doctor Boyd was on schedule and his nurse was calling them into the office.

"How are you today, Blair?" Doctor Boyd asked as everyone took a seat. Blair was sitting in the middle of Chuck and Eleanor ready to act as referee if needed. There was no love lost between the pair. That was apparent to Doctor Boyd the moment they all stepped into the office together.

"Annoyed actually," Blair stated as she crossed her legs swiftly and accidentally on purposed kicked Chuck in the shin with her spiked heel. Chuck grimaced in pain as he glared at her.

"And why is that?" Doctor Boyd asked, trying to hide his amusement at the pair's interaction.

"Chuck went behind my back and called my mother," Blair snapped, "I told him that I didn't want her here, but he did it anyways."

Eleanor tried not to be hurt by Blair's admission. She wasn't surprised by the statement especially with the conversations that they had been having lately.

"And Mister Bass, why did you do that?" Doctor Boyd asked.

"It's Chuck," he clarified quickly, "And I called Eleanor because it's important to Blair's recovery that her mother be here."

"Blair, why do you not want your mother here?" Doctor Boyd inquired.

"What is the point?" Blair sighed, "None of this changes anything. We tried this mother-daughter therapy session thing when I was first treated for my bulimia. Nothing has changed. She doesn't make the effort. Nothing I do is ever good enough for her. How I look is never good enough for her. Nothing I wear is ever fashionable enough. Who I date is not enough for her."

"Eleanor," Doctor Boyd prompted.

"How can you say this?" Eleanor asked as she snapped at Blair, "I have tried to be the mother that you wanted, give you the best of everything, seen to it that all of your wishes have been met."

"What do you think of what I am wearing today, Mother?" Blair inquired as she stood up and spun around so that her mother could view her ensemble.

"It's different," Eleanor stated as she looked over the outfit, "It's not the style that I'm used to you wearing, but it's nice."

Everyone heard the hesitation in Eleanor's voice.

"What do you really think of it, Mother?" Blair snapped.

"The hem is too short. The fitting isn't quite right, and the stitching looks like amateur hour," Eleanor stated, "But I can't help my opinions. Fashion is what I do for a living. I'm paid to be critical."

"What if I said this was one of your designs?" Blair stated.

"That's impossible," Eleanor scoffed, "I would never make something like this."

"But you did," Blair assured her, "Sixteen years ago. Dorota was going through your closet one day and found this stuffed in the back. I liked it, so I kept it. I knew you'd never miss it. It is the one Eleanor Original left in my closet. I burned the rest if you must know, and now I think I'll be burning this as soon as I get home."

Eleanor's eyes widened in surprise.

"Ms. Waldorf, how is your relationship with your daughter's boyfriend?" Doctor Boyd asked. He wanted to shift the conversation away from Blair for a few moments as she needed to calm down.

"Charles and I get along fine," Eleanor snapped.

Blair laughed out sarcastically. Even Chuck smirked in disbelief.

"Fine, I tolerate him," Eleanor amended.

"What is it about Chuck that you don't like?" Doctor Boyd inquired.

"Don't answer that," Blair snapped at her mother. She wasn't going to let Chuck take a beating to further her recovery. He had his own issues that he was working through.

"Blair, why won't you let your mother answer?" the doctor asked.

"Chuck and I both have our own separate issues that we are working through. I dealt with mine by throwing up my meals. Chuck dealt with his by drinking and womanizing," Blair explained.

"Among other things," Chuck added dryly.

"I won't have my mother attacking him for his past mistakes. I've moved on from all of that. I forgave him just like he has forgiven me for mine," Blair stated as she took his hand. He kissed it lightly as she finished speaking.

Eleanor let out an exaggerated sigh of disgust.

"Ms. Waldorf, do you want your daughter to be happy?" Doctor Boyd inquired.

"Of course," Eleanor insisted, "But does it have to be with Chuck Bass, the womanizing, alcoholic, drug using, spoiled prince of the Upper East Side. You and Nate were so much better suited for each other."

"Nate didn't make me happy," Blair groaned. She desperately wanted her mother to get over the idea of her and Nate reunited. It was not going to happen. "He tried, but in the end it wasn't right. He doesn't make me feel what Chuck does. Nate would never have called you to let you know I relapsed and that I had gone back into therapy. Nate would not have broken down the bathroom door when I began to throw up. Nate would not have even known something was wrong. Even if he had, he would have been happy to bury it under the rug so he wouldn't have to deal with it."

"You broke down the bathroom door," Eleanor repeated in surprise. Chuck merely nodded. She almost sounded impressed by his rash action.

"I would do anything for your daughter," he stated simply, "Break down a door, level a building, demolish an entire city . . . whatever it takes to make her happy."

"And he makes me happy, Mother," Blair added, "Why can't you see that and accept that we are together?"

"What happens when he hurts you once again," Eleanor snapped, "I've watched him destroy you once. I refuse to watch that again."

Chuck was going to speak up, but Blair was quicker, "He won't hurt me. This relationship that we have is going to last."

"How can you be certain of that?" Doctor Boyd inquired.

"Because we're Blair and Chuck," she stated simply as she took his hand once again and smiled happily at him. "We fought each other and our feelings long enough. We're done fighting. We're both ready to be happy."

"You are only nineteen years old," Eleanor snapped, "The things I wanted when I was nineteen are totally different than what I want now."

"One thing will always remain consistent for me, Mother," Blair assured her, "I love Chuck. He's it for me. Either you accept that or . . ."

"Don't you dare give me an ultimatum," her mother hissed.

"It's not an ultimatum," Blair assured her, "Either you accept that I love Chuck and that I've chosen to live with him and plan a life with him or you no longer have a daughter."

"Blair," Chuck gasped, "Don't do this."

Eleanor's eyes went wide at Chuck's request. He was the last person she expected to come to her aid in this situation.

"Can Blair and I have a few minutes alone?" Chuck requested as he looked at Doctor Boyd. The doctor nodded as he escorted Eleanor from the room. Eleanor wanted to argue but something told her to trust Chuck just this once.

"What do you think you're doing?" Chuck hissed as soon as they were alone, "You cannot cut your mother out of your life. What's more important is that I won't let you do that. I've lost both of my parents, Blair, and that hurts more than I hope you'll ever have to know. I won't let you cut your mother out of your life, especially voluntarily."

"I want her to accept what we are," Blair insisted as her arms went around his neck.

"Cutting her out isn't the way to do it," he stated as he rubbed her arms gently, "We'll figure this out . . . all of us. Your mother and I will find a way to co-exist in your world. I promise."

"Okay," she nodded as she leaned in and kissed him. He had a sneaky suspicion that there was more to their kiss and pulled away before she could act upon any desires she may have had. Chuck went to the door and told Doctor Boyd that he and Eleanor could return.

"Ms. Waldorf, I love your daughter," Chuck stated as everyone returned to their seats, Chuck and Blair trading places so that he could speak directly to Eleanor. "I'm not going to go anywhere, so you have to get used to that. We have to find some way to co-exist. I cannot take what this is doing to Blair."

"You may be right," Eleanor admitted reluctantly, "Cyrus returns from his business trip in a few days. Why don't we all have dinner, in neutral territory this time."

"Perhaps we should start with something a little smaller," Chuck offered, "Dinners haven't been our strong suit. Perhaps we should start with afternoon tea, say at the Palace on Saturday afternoon around three. Blair and I are staying there for a few days."

"What's wrong with your penthouse?" Eleanor asked in surprised.

"I'm having it cleaned," Chuck stated, "I surprised Blair by bringing the beach to her last week to make up for missing out on her tropical spring break trip. We ended up tracking sand throughout the house. We certainly do not want to live with that the rest of our lives."

"That was actually very sweet of you, Chuck," Eleanor stated, her eyes softening.

"Chuck does a lot of sweet things for me," Blair spoke up as she laced her fingers with his. Chuck smiled warmly at Blair as he caressed the knuckle of her thumb gently back and forth.

"I'd say we made some progress here," Doctor Boyd announced, "Perhaps another session all together in a few weeks to give a progress report."

"We'll see about that," Blair stated as she gathered her coat and purse as everyone stood from their seats upon realizing that their hour was up.

"Blair, I'd like you to continue on with therapy for at least the next couple of months to ensure that you are still on track," Doctor Boyd stated, "Just once a week for now."

"Okay," Blair agreed as she nodded her head, "But Chuck has a very busy schedule these next few months. Even today was difficult for him to get off."

"Blair, if you need me here, I'll find the time," Chuck assured her, "I don't care how busy I am."

"We'll see," Blair repeated.

"That went surprisingly well," Chuck stated tentatively as they got into his limo after watching Eleanor get into her awaiting town car.

"You're just hoping that I won't make you sleep in one of the guest bedrooms," she stated sarcastically.

"I'm sorry for ambushing you," he responded sincerely, "You have every right to be upset with me for calling your mother, but I only did it because I want you to get better."

"I know," she sighed dramatically, "And I think today did help. As much as I hate it that you snuck around behind my back, I do need to resolve these issues with my mother. I can't have this much turmoil in my life and expect to get better."

"Agreed," he nodded, "Where would you like to have lunch? Wherever you'd like, my treat."

"Do you have time for lunch?" she inquired as she reached into his pocket for his Blackberry and turned it on for him.

He quickly snatched the phone from her hand and turned it back off before it began chirping out of control with the massive amount of messages he was sure to have missed during their therapy session

"Work can wait another hour," he assured her as he capture her lips into the kiss he'd been longing to give her since she'd first picked him up for their therapy session.

"I knew you were holding back on me," she mumbled against his lips as a smile formed.

**TBC. . .**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. They belong to Cecily von Zeigesar and The CW.**

"What happened to the penthouse?" Nate asked as he joined Blair and Chuck for dinner that evening at one of the hotel restaurants. Neither of the pair had heard Nate approach as they were too busy entertaining themselves with each other's lips. Both jumped in surprise at the sound of his voice.

"How was spring break, Nathaniel?" Chuck asked as he stood suddenly and shook his best friend's hand while wiping Blair's lipstick of his lips with his free hand. "Nice tan."

"Thanks," Nate stated as he bent over to kiss Blair's cheek before he took a seat across the table from them, "But you haven't answered my question. I heard you're staying at the Palace for a week. What happened? Did you flood the bathtub during one of your . . . you know what, on second thought I don't want to know what happened."

"Nothing happened to the penthouse," Blair assured him, "It just needs a bit of cleaning. Chuck brought the beach to me last week, and now the penthouse needs to be cleaned. How have classes been at Columbia?"

"Fine," Nate shrugged, "Finals are looming large, and I have three term papers to write. I should have forgone break to get a head start, but you know me . . . I can never turn down an excuse to relax. Chuck, I heard about your big merger . . . congratulations, the board must be thrilled."

"We're all thrilled," Chuck stated proudly as Blair squeezed his arm happily as she beamed in pride, "Why didn't you tell me I screwed the negotiator's daughter in high school? It would have been a huge help. Had I known, I would have stayed out of the negotiations."

"I didn't keep track of your high school conquests. That would have been a full time job. And I didn't have that kind of time," Nate replied. Nate winced at the sudden realization that Blair might be hurt by his comments.

"You're one to talk," Blair added humorously. She wasn't the least bit offended or hurt. It wasn't a secret. Chuck's past was his past. He wasn't that man anymore, hadn't been in almost a year.

"I slowed down for awhile," Nate responded defensively, hurt that she seemed to forget the honest try he had made with her when they reconnected at the end of their senior year.

"A short while," Blair rolled her eyes.

"Serena called to say she was running a little late," Chuck announced as he tried to steer the conversation away from what the two former childhood sweethearts had been. "Her flight was a little delayed getting in from Rhode Island. Why she won't let me fly her in on my private jet is beyond me."

"I can afford me own flight, thank you very much," Serena announced as she joined the trio having heard the tail end of their conversation.

"Serena," Blair stated happily as she stood up and hugged her best friend, "How was your spring break?"

"Sunny," Serena replied as she hugged Chuck and then Nate before she took her seat next to Nate. Naturally Chuck and Blair would be sitting next to each other with barely an inch of space between them. "How was your break?"

"Interesting," Blair stated cryptically.

"Interesting good or interesting bad?" Serena asked, "You aren't pregnant, are you?"

"Seriously people have to stop jumping to that conclusion," Blair groaned in frustration as she looked at Chuck, "Do I look pregnant?"

"Of course not," he assured her as he kissed her cheek in assurance before glaring evilly at his stepsister. The last thing Blair needed right now was to be self conscious about her body.

"Well, there was a reason that you called for the club meeting, so what is it?" Serena inquired.

Blair took a deep breath as she prepared herself to disclose what had happened over the break, but the waiter had other ideas and came to take their order instead. Blair's low growl didn't go unnoticed by Chuck as he squeezed her hand.

"Okay, where were we?" Serena prompted Blair when the waiter walked away. She knew her best friend had been building up to tell them something when they had been rudely interrupted.

Blair hesitated. She had lost her nerve and didn't want to continue.

"Blair," Chuck prompted her when he picked up on her hesitation, "You can do this."

"What happened?" Nate asked nervously. Blair's nervousness was making him nervous. He'd never seen her like this in all the years he'd known her.

"I relapsed over the break," Blair stated softly.

Nate looked at Blair in confusion. He didn't put together what she was talking about.

"B," Serena gasped as she saw Blair's eyes tear up.

"Are you okay?" Nate pressed as it finally occurred to him what she was talking about. Her bulimia hadn't been something that he had been made aware of while they were dating. He vaguely knew it had happened, but had never been privy to many of the details. The fact that she wanted him there while she made the big reveal spoke volumes about how far their relationship had come since they stopped dating.

"I'm back in therapy for awhile," Blair stated, "And Chuck is taking excellent care of me."

"What happened that set you off?" Nate asked. Serena kicked his shin with her heel to scold him for his lack of tact. Nate yelped in pain as Serena then elbowed him in the gut.

"It's okay," Blair assured Serena as she chuckled lightly at her best friend's thorough beating of her ex-boyfriend. "I wanted to tell you. It was the reason that we called you."

"What happened?" Serena asked as she reached across the table to grab Blair's free hand that Chuck wasn't holding to provide the extra comfort she was sure her best friend needed.

"I don't want to go into the details," Blair stated as she used the hand that Chuck was holding to try and brush away a few tears that had begun to fall. Chuck helped her by using the thumb of his free hand to push the tears away. The tenderness between the pair didn't go unnoticed by the other two at the table. "But it involved my mother and another of her attempts to influence my life."

"Does Eleanor know it happened?" Serena inquired.

"Yes," Blair responded as she glared menacingly at Chuck, "Chuck called her and insisted that she attend my therapy session this week."

"Is the office building still standing?" Nate inquired in jest. The conversation was more serious than he liked, and he was trying to lighten the mood.

"It was touch and go for a few minutes," Blair admitted while smirking in amusement, "I was ready to cut her out of my life completely, but Chuck stopped me before I could follow through."

"Wait, you went to her therapy session," Nate stated as he turned to his buddy to give him a surprised look. Chuck merely nodded. "Why did I never get invited?"

"Hardly the point, Nate," Serena groaned as she elbowed him again.

"Serena, you're going to start leaving bruises," Nate responded in pain.

"Good," Serena snapped, "Stop it with the stupid remarks. You're not helping."

"None of what happened was Nate's fault," Blair tried to assure everyone.

"That's not entirely true," Serena stated, the guilt evident in her voice as she spoke, "If Nate and I hadn't gotten drunk at that wedding and slept together . . ."

"Stop right there, Serena," Blair commanded her friend, "That's all in the past. We've all made mistakes with each other. It's one of the reasons our bond is as strong as it is. We're not perfect."

"But still . . ." Serena pressed.

"Serious, S, stop it," Blair demanded, "If you hadn't slept with Nate, I might never have slept with Chuck, and we might never be what we are now. I am not willing to even think of us not happening."

"We would have happened," Chuck stated confidently, "I've said it before. We were inevitable. Nathaniel is my best friend and the brother I never had, but when it came to your relationship, he was going to mess it up eventually. I would have made sure of that."

Blair slapped him on the shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Blair, but it's true," Chuck confessed, "You didn't belong with him."

"He's right, Blair," Nate chimed in.

"I know," Blair stated, "But the fact that he would have sabotaged you . . ."

"I would never have sabotaged Nathaniel," Chuck scoffed, "I just would have pointed him in the other direction. (Blair slapped him again.) He was already headed in that direction anyway. I just didn't want to prolong the agony . . . for both of you. I saw how miserable you both were towards the end."

Blair crossed her arms with a huff.

"Tell me you weren't relieved when you showed up at Victrola after breaking up with him," Chuck requested, "Tell me you didn't enjoy making love to me in the back of my limo that very night. Tell me you don't love our life now."

Nate groaned in discomfort as Chuck's voice grew huskier as he spoke. Chuck gave his friend a sympathetic look as an apology before he forced Blair to make eye contact with him.

"You're right," Blair whispered softly so that only Chuck could hear her.

"As much as you hate to admit it," he grinned as she leaned in to kiss him.

Nate cleared his throat before either of them could take their kiss any further.

"We're getting off subject," Blair stated as she pulled away, "What happened last week was neither of your faults, nor was it Chuck's. It happened, and I'm dealing with it. I wanted us to have dinner tonight to tell you, and ask for your support. I can't get better all by myself, and I can't try to keep this a secret. It's not doing me any good."

"We're here for you, Blair," Nate spoke first. Serena nodded her head in agreement. "Whatever you need or don't need from us, we'll do it."

"Nate's right," Serena agreed, "The important thing is that you get better."

"And I will," Blair stated confidently. "This was a one time lapse in judgment. I'm going to make sure of that."

"How can we help?" Serena inquired.

The nonjudgmental breakfast club continued on with their meal, discussing Blair's treatment before moving on to more pleasant topics as they eat their meal.

"Bass, I didn't know you had that kind of romantic gesture in you," Serena stated when Blair told them about Chuck's surprise beach in their penthouse as their desserts were served. "My opinion of you has risen dramatically."

"Thanks so much, Sis," Chuck responded sarcastically.

"Seriously, Chuck, how did you come up with the idea?" Nate inquired.

"It was just something Blair said the previous evening that gave me the idea. I was feeling so helpless about what happened, and I wanted to cheer her up the way she cheered me up during Christmas. It was my turn."

"We aren't keeping score, Bass," Blair stated.

"I know," he assured her, "But I also know what it's like to sink into a depression caused by our parental neglect. I wasn't going to let that happen to you. The lowest I ever felt was when my father died. I almost destroyed myself completely. The second lowest I ever felt was the year later. I had you to pull me out. I wasn't in danger of destroying myself that time. I wasn't going to let you fall into that same depression. I love you too much to watch that happen."

"I love you too," Blair responded as she leaned in to kiss him.

Both Serena and Nate began to clear their throats to remind the pair that they were still in a public place as their kiss began to deepen.

"Later," Blair mouthed as she pulled away. He nodded in agreement as he took a deep breath to calm himself down.

"I'd say get a room, but you already have one," Serena quipped, "Perhaps you should go to it."

"Don't be silly, S," Blair stated as she picked up her fork and dove into her chocolate soufflé, "I haven't finished my dessert yet."

"Isn't that what you were working on with Chuck?" Nate inquired dryly as he rolled his eyes.

"That's an interesting idea, Nathaniel," Chuck responded with a devilish grin directed towards Blair who was the only one still eating, "We really should nickname our bedroom activities."

Both Serena and Nate cringed at the suggestion, but Blair giggled with intrigue.

"How in the hell do you two find time for other activities?" Nate inquired, "All you seem to do is sleep together."

"Not true!" Blair exclaimed as she gave him a look of horror that he would even suggest such a thing, "We have other interests outside of the bedroom. It just so happens that the inside the bedroom activities are our favorite."

Nate and Serena responded with a look of disgust and Chuck began laughing out loudly. Many of the other diners began looking at the group, rolling their eyes at the apparent scene the young adults were making. None of them had any thought to mind or to quiet down.

**TBC. . .**

**So many hits, so few reviews. Are any of you enjoying this? Should I continue?**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. They belong to Cecily von Zeigesar and The CW.**

**Humbled . . . that is the word to describe how I felt upon reading all of your encouraging words and suggestions. I definitely felt the love after my last post, and I'm glad you wanted me to continue. I must confess it would have been tough to quit. Thank you all for the comments. **

**Here is your reward. Don't be shy, let me know what you think.**

"Dinner went well," Blair stated as they rode the elevator to the suite that Chuck had rented for them while they waited for their home to be cleaned. She was itching to return to the penthouse as Chuck had been able to sense. He had Eugenia call the cleaning agency that morning and offered to pay double if they could finish by the next afternoon. Blair had Fridays off, and he was seriously considering calling in sick to the office if the cleaners could finish early. She hadn't been able to relax in the rented suite. It wasn't comfortable to her.

"Dinner went very well," Chuck agreed as he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it gently, "You were very brave. I'm proud of you for being able to tell them what happened."

"Nate never really knew about my bulimia when it was happening," Blair stated as she leaned into his body, "I never felt comfortable telling him when we were together. I guess now I know that he could have handled it . . . just not as well as you."

"You think me beating down the bathroom door was handling it well," Chuck stated in surprise while he grimaced as he touched his shoulder. He'd never really addressed the pain the impulsive action had caused him. Perhaps he should make an appointment to see a doctor just to make sure he didn't do any real damage.

"That was a little rash," Blair admitted with a nervous little chuckle, "But you were coming to my rescue. That was very chivalrous of you."

"I don't know that anyone has used the term chivalrous in describing me before," Chuck laughed as the elevator chimed to announce they had arrived at their floor. He guided Blair forward with his hand placed at the small of her back. She let out a small sigh of content as as followed his gentle lead.

Upon entering their suite, a light on the phone told them there was a message waiting.

"How odd," Blair remarked as Chuck went to retrieve the message. Surely anyone who needed to speak with them would simply call their cellphones. Blair looked as if she wanted to continue speaking, but Chuck silenced her with a finger to her lips as he listened to the message, a smile forming and then widening as the message continued.

"Let's go home," he announced as he hung up.

"Really?" she stated happily, "Can we really go home?"

"Eugenia got the cleaners to finish early. All of our belongings have been packed up and moved. Arthur is waiting with the limo out front," Chuck stated as he took her hand and led her out of the suite and back to the elevator.

"I hope the cleaners will be getting a sizable bonus," Blair smirked as they rode the elevator down. He gave her slyly confident nod of confirmation as he pulled her against him. She melted in his arms during the short ride down.

* * *

"Home sweet home," Blair sighed with content as they stepped off the elevator into their penthouse. Everything was as they had left it prior to Chuck's addition of the beach to their living room. Chuck could feel her relax instantly as she stepped across the hardwood floor on her way to their bedroom. Naturally that would be their first destination.

Chuck swept her up in his arms just before she could step into their room. She laughed out in surprise as her arms went around his neck as he crossed the threshold.

"Just trying to live up to my chivalrousness from earlier," he remarked as he laid her down gently on top of their bed. She sighed with relief at the familiarity of her surroundings.

"I love you, Bass," she sighed happily as she pulled him towards her, refusing to relinquish her hold around his neck. Her declaration earned a gigantic smile from him as he leaned in and captured her lips.

"Do you have any studying that you need to do tonight?" he inquired as he loosened his tie and threw it to the floor.

"I do, but it can wait a day or so," she assured him as she began to release the buttons of his dress shirt as he shrugged out of his suit jacket.

"Good," he smirked as his hands found the zipper of her dress.

"What do you have in mind for entertaining me this evening?" she asked playfully as he lowered the zipper slowly.

"I've been dying to make love to you all evening," he confessed as he pulled her body towards him so that he could show her how much he wanted her.

"By all means, let's put you out of your misery," she smirked as he slid the dress off her body so she was left in only her lingerie.

"Blair, I want you to be honest with me," he stated as his expression turned serious.

"Okay," she responded as her face matching his own.

"What don't you like about your body?" he inquired as his hands gently caressed her sides.

Her mouth dropped open at the question. That certainly wasn't what she had expected him to say at that moment. "Why would you even ask a question like that?" she snapped.

"I'm trying to figure this all out. When I look at you, I see perfection, but clearly when you look in the mirror you see something different. I want to know what it is so that we can work on getting you do see what I see," Chuck explained as his lips danced across her collarbone, his breath hot against her skin.

She had tears in her eyes as she forced herself to look away.

"Blair, look at me," he whispered softly as he turned her chin to look into his eyes, "You're safe with me. You know that. What we do and say in our bedroom is sacred. I only want to help you get better. Do this for me."

"My breasts," she stated softly as a single tear fell down her cheek.

"What about them?" he prodded her to continue.

"They're too small," she replied as she tried to cover herself.

He pushed her arms away before removed her bra and taking each breast in each hand. "They fit perfectly in my hands," he stated as he caressed her nipples into hardened peaks. She moaned softly as he spoke. "I wouldn't want them any larger."

"My stomach," she continued as her hands drifted lower to rest on her abdomen, "It's not flat enough."

He continued to caress her breast as his head dipped lower, brushing her hands way so that his lips could caress her stomach, his tongue skimming over her stomach and dipping into her belly button as another moan escaped from her lips. "It's flat enough for me."

"My thighs aren't shapely enough," she stated.

His hands released her breasts as they trailed down her body to her thighs were he began to caress them gently, tracing random patterns along her skin. He could feel her breathing shallow as her heart rate began to accelerate. His lips soon followed as he began to alternately nip and suck gently at her skin. Her hands found their way into his hair as his lips trailed to the inside of her thighs; almost reaching the place she wanted him most.

"Chuck!" she gasped when he pulled away.

"What else?" he pressed, his eyes dark with anger. He wasn't angry with her, he was angry that she could find any faults in her body, the body that he worshipped and cherished beyond anything else in his world. "What else do you see that is wrong with you? I need to make you see what I see. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever met. Keep in mind I've known a lot of women. None of them can compare with you in any way. Whatever flaws you think you see in the mirror, they aren't there."

Tears began to well in her eyes again.

"I'm sorry," he responded as his eyes softened instantly. He felt horrible that he had made her cry.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," she tried to assure him, "This is all me. I don't know how I let myself get this out of control. How could I possibly let this happened when you make me feel this good . . . this loved? When I'm with you I feel perfect. All the flaws that I pointed out don't seem to matter when we're together. All that matters at those moments is that we are together."

"Do you worry that some day I'll see what you see and walk away?" he inquired in a soft tone. Just saying the words broke his heart into tiny pieces. He wasn't doing something right if she allowed herself to entertain that thought for even a moment.

"Yes," she nodded as the tears spilled over.

"That isn't going to happen, Baby," Chuck assured her as he worked on wiping away each of her tears as they fell, "I'm not leaving you. I can't leave you. Whatever I have to do to make you see that, please tell me and I'll do it."

"I don't know what it's going to take," she admitted, "I know you love me . . . really I do, but some days I wonder why. Blame it on my low self esteem or my crappy relationship with my parents, but I don't understand how you can love me when sometimes I don't think that my parents do. My father certainly doesn't love me enough to say in the country . . ."

"Stop right there," he hissed as he interrupted her, "Your father loves you more than anything in this world. I know that because he has told me so. His living in France has nothing to do with his love for you. He would have taken you with him if he thought that you would have wanted to go. And Eleanor loves you too. Does she have a crappy way of showing it, absolutely, but, Blair, she flew all the way back to New York from France on very short notice when I called to tell her about your relapse. She dropped a very important business meeting to be there for you. As for me, stop wondering why I love you, and just focus on the fact that I do."

"I love you too," Blair stated as she leaned up and captured his lips in a passionate kiss.

"Let me prove to you how much I love you . . . let me prove to you how perfect I think you are," he stated, "Let me make love to you."

"Chuck Bass, are you asking for permission?" she smirked in disbelief.

"Yes," he nodded as he leaned in to kiss her again. His eyes turned desperate as he waited for her consent. He was painfully ready, but he wouldn't proceed until she gave her permission. It was important to him. He'd only ever asked one woman if it was okay for him to have sex with her, now he would only ever ask one woman if it was okay for him to make love to her. Ironic or not, she was the same woman.

"Please," she begged as she pulled away gasping for breath.

His clothes were thrown away in haste, buttons flying as they went. Her La Perla panties were shredded. They were a mess of limbs as they made love, both desperate for the other. They were normally loud while making love, but that evening he would later wonder if anyone else in the building had heard them.

Something felt different, and it had nothing to do with what Blair had been experiencing over the past week, or perhaps it did. Perhaps her bulimic episode was a horrible necessity. Perhaps she needed to know that through whatever she went through, he would always be there by her side as she had vowed to be by his.

**TBC. . .**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. They belong to Cecily von Zeigesar and The CW.**

"Blair, Sweetheart, how are you?" Eleanor asked as she hugged her daughter in greeting when Chuck and Blair joined her and Cyrus for afternoon tea on Saturday as they had agreed during her therapy session earlier that week. Blair tried to fight threw the tension she felt in her mother's arms, but she knew that both her mother and Chuck felt it.

"I'm doing better," Blair assured her as she walked over and hugged Cyrus willingly.

Chuck noticed Eleanor's frown as her daughter appeared to be more comfortable with Cyrus than with her.

"Hello, Charles," Eleanor stated as she shook his hand tentatively.

"Hello, Ms. Waldorf," Chuck nodded. He smirked slightly at her attempt to be civil. He could see that she was forcing herself to be civil out of her love and concern for her daughter.

"Cyrus, how was your business trip?" Blair asked as she watched Chuck shake his hand before he moved to hold her chair out for her.

"Very productive," Cyrus assured her as he held out Eleanor's chair for her, "How are classes at NYU?"

"They are going very well," Blair stated sincerely, "I'm so happy you were able to get me an interview with the dean. NYU turned out to be the perfect place for me."

"I knew there was a good reason that I carried that man through a war zone," Cyrus chuckled, "Charles, I heard about your acquisition. That was a pretty impressive business maneuver. From my legal buddies, I heard that it was all your idea to start with. I'd say things are going very well for you at the top."

"I'm still finding my footing," Chuck stated as he took his seat next to Blair and held her hand, "But it seemed like a logical acquisition. I was a little surprised my father hadn't tried it before."

"What type of acquisition was it?" Eleanor inquired curiously.

"One of the largest construction companies in the country," Chuck explained, "Bass Industries was their largest client as we used them almost exclusively for any development project we had. There business has been up for sale for quite some time, but nobody came through with a viable offer. I went to the Board of Directors with the idea. They loved it, and we began working on the deal starting in January. It moved fairly quickly, quicker than I think anyone expected. We're waiting for the stakeholders for both companies to approve the deal, but it sounds like a formality at this point as the deal was mutually beneficial for all sides. I can already guarantee that our side will approve the deal as I am the majority stakeholder."

Eleanor's eyes appeared to glaze over as he spoke. Chuck could see that she was interested because of the fact that she had asked, but he appeared to have gone too fast during his explanation. While Eleanor ran a successful business, her main involvement in the company was from the creative side. She had business managers to handle the business side of things. He knew he'd lost Blair almost immediately. While he knew she was proud of him for what he had accomplished, she didn't know enough about the business world to understand the complexities of the deal.

"Sounds like you are a chip off the old block," Cyrus stated, "Your father was a brilliant business man."

"His genes have to be good for something," Chuck added. There was a hint of sarcasm in his voice that only Blair had heard. She squeezed his hand in assurance as their server brought out the tea and appetizers that Eleanor had ordered when they had first arrived.

"I hope you don't mind," Eleanor added quickly, "I took the liberty of ordering for all of us."

"No," Chuck assured her as he spoke for himself.

"Blair, I know how much you love the tea cakes, so I make sure to order extras," Eleanor added as she held out a dish to Blair to choose from.

"Thank you, Mother," Blair stated as she took two of the cakes that her mother was referring to, "That was very thoughtful of you."

"Why don't you have a few more," her mother prodded.

"I'm okay," Blair assured her, "Chuck and I had a large breakfast this morning."

Eleanor looked to Chuck to confirm her daughter's story.

"Blair is right," Chuck added quickly, "Our chef went overboard with breakfast. It was his first day back after the week off I gave him, and he must have forgotten that he was only feeding two people instead of twenty."

"You should taste the waffles that he makes," Blair stated, "Serena says they are better than Rufus Humphrey's, which apparently is saying something as Eric says that Rufus makes the best waffles he's ever tasted."

"Perhaps we should have you both over for breakfast one morning," Chuck added.

"That would be wonderful," Cyrus stated cheerfully, "We all love Dorota, but I must confess her waffles are a little flat."

"How is Dorota?" Blair asked. There was a hint of sadness in her voice that told everyone at the table that she missed her trusty confidant.

"She's keeping busy," Eleanor assured her.

"Although she does seem to mumble in her native language more than she used to," Cyrus added, "Blair, I think she misses you."

"I should stop by and see her," Blair stated, "I don't think that I've seen her since the holidays."

"Sweetheart, Cyrus and I are hosting Passover again this year. We'd love it if you and Charles joined us. Hopefully things will go better than the last Seder," Eleanor stated as she reflected back on the previous year's disaster, "We won't be invited Serena this year. Sweetheart, I know she's your best friend, but that girl attracts trouble wherever she goes."

Chuck laughed slightly in amusement, but Blair took offense to the statement. "Serena is doing very well at Brown," Blair insisted.

"I'm sure she is," Eleanor stated, "But I intend to make amends for last year's disaster, for Cyrus and his mother."

"We'd be happy to attend," Chuck added quickly before Blair could speak another word. He could see that she was ramping up for another argument with her mother, and so far things had been pretty civil. Blair leaned her shoulder against him as if to thank him for stopping her from continuing on.

"Charles, how much longer are you and Blair going to be staying at the Palace?" Eleanor inquired as she took a sip of her tea as Blair began to eat her cakes.

"We actually already left," Chuck responded, "The cleaning crew finished early, so we went back Wednesday evening after dinner with Nathaniel and Serena."

"How is Nate?" Eleanor asked happily.

Blair groaned at the way her mother's eyes appeared to light up as she spoke about her ex-boyfriend. Chuck chose to ignore her apparent displeasure and answered for them, "He's doing well. He's mentioned that Columbia is a little harder than he had expected, but he's managing decent grades. The Vanderbilts are displeased that he chose Columbia over Yale, but he seems happy."

"He's been dating some girl from California," Blair chimed in, "A rival political family which seems to be an added bonus. He has a thing of political rivals. First Texas, now California. They seem pretty serious."

"They aren't," Chuck shook his head. His best friend had confided in him only a few days earlier that the relationship was running its course, and that he was going to break up with her.

"They aren't," Blair repeated in surprise as she looked at him with wide eyes, "What do you know that I don't?"

"Privileged best friend information," he shrugged, "You'll see what I mean soon. You know I can't break his confidence, even to you."

"I know," she nodded as he kissed her hand.

"Blair, what are your plans for this summer?" Cyrus inquired.

Blair's eyes lit up as the delight spread through her features. One of her professors had called with amazing news the previous day.

"Well, Chuck is taking me to France for a few days to see Daddy, and then we're going to vacation for a week in Greece. Then we returning to New York so that I can begin my internship," Blair stated happily.

"An internship, Sweetheart, what type of work will you be doing?" Eleanor asked.

"The correct question would be, 'Who are you interning with?'" Chuck amended.

"Okay, who are you interning with?" Eleanor corrected herself.

"Michael Kors!" Blair exclaimed as the excitement built in her eyes.

"Fashion designer Michael Kors?" Eleanor asked for clarification.

"The one and only," she nodded happily.

"Blair, that's fantastic," Cyrus stated, hoping to fill the void that was threatening since Eleanor was moved to complete silence.

"It's not going to be the most glamorous internship, but it will give me a good foundation in fashion design since I've declared that as my major," Blair stated.

"I knew you'd change your mind about liberal arts," Cyrus stated, "Blair, this is extraordinary. You'll be a magnificent designer, a chip off the old block if you will."

Blair tensed against Chuck's shoulder at Cyrus's attempt at a compliment, but Chuck's eyes encouraged her to relax. Eleanor was still looking at her daughter in stunned silence.

"Isn't this wonderful news, Dear," Cyrus prodded his wife.

"Yes, wonderful," Eleanor repeated apprehensively.

"You should change the name of your company to Waldorfs' Designs and work together," Cyrus added.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Eleanor stated as she put a screeching halt of any further plans to change her business, "Blair, do you even know how to sew?"

"I'll learn," Blair stated. She could see that her mother was taken aback by her announcement. She couldn't decide if Eleanor was genuinely surprised or threatened by the news. In the spirit of trying to rebuild their relationship she chose to believe that her mother was merely surprised.

"I'm sure Dorota will be happy to teach me. If not, I have a few friends at school that have volunteered. I think I'll ask Dorota first as I'm sure she'll be more patient than my friends in the beginning. I'll admit that I don't know all that much about sewing, but my professor already told Michael that, and he still wanted to take me as an intern after he saw the designs I sketched for my art class."

"Blair, I'm happy for you," Eleanor stated. There was a hesitation in her statement that didn't go unnoticed by everyone at the table. Chuck was surprised that Blair was as gracious with accepting her mother's statement as she was. "And if you still have those sketches, I'd like to take a look. Perhaps I can give you a few pointers."

Blair nodded as she felt a twinge in her stomach. She tried to be discreet as she brought her free hand to her abdomen hoping to soothe the sudden churning, but Chuck noticed instantly and leaned in to whisper in her ear, "Are you okay?"

She wanted to be okay for him, but she didn't feel well. She shook her head to tell him she wasn't.

"Let's go get some fresh air," Chuck stated as he pulled her to her feet instantly. He quickly excused them both and pulled Blair into the garden. In the late spring and summer, the garden was an additional seating area for the restaurant, but in the cold months nobody was outside, today was one of those days.

Blair took several deep breaths as soon as they were completely alone. Her breath came out in white puffs as she leaned up against the frozen trellis.

"Come on, Blair, you're okay. It's just me out here with you," Chuck encouraged her as he leaned into her as he put his arms around her waist and brought her close to him.

"I know," she whispered as she clung to him, "She made a simple statement. She's trying to take an interest in my life. That's all she wants to do. She wants to be happy for me."

"Do you want to call Doctor Boyd?" he inquired as he quickly reached for his phone and offered it to her.

"I'll be okay," she tried to reassure him, "My stomach is settling."

"Are you sure?" he pressed as he began to scroll through his contacts looking for the numbers he had programmed for the doctor the week prior after convincing her doctor's assistant to give him a business card.

"I'm okay," she repeated, "I already feel better."

"Your mother really is the trigger in all this, isn't she," he concluded. He'd had a nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach that he was the real cause of all her issues, but she didn't want to hurt him. That didn't appear to be the case.

"Did you think it was you?" she inquired curiously.

"Yes," he admitted as he leaned in to kissed her, "Your last episode was just after you and I first made love . . . too much of a coincidence to ignore."

"It's not you," she assured him as she pulled him to her by his tie when he tried to pull away.

"It might partly be me," he continued on, "Granted your mother is the bigger piece of the puzzle, but we can't ignore the smaller pieces here. I might be a part of this. Nathaniel might be a part of this. Serena may be a part of this. We all are part of who you are. To ignore that is to ignore what is wrong, and we cannot do that."

"Maybe you're right," she frowned. She hated to admit that what he was saying made a lot of sense. "But I don't understand how this could be your fault at all? Our relationship is amazing. I never knew that being in love could be like this. Every morning I wake up with a smile on my face whether you're lying next to me or not. My first thought is of you and how much I love you. You treat me like a Princess. How could all of that have a negative effect on me?"

"Maybe it doesn't," he replied, "Maybe it merely postponed what would have inevitably happened anyways. Obviously your bulimia isn't as under control as we thought it was."

"Obviously," she frowned harder as she looked towards her Manolo heel.

"Keep your chin up," he commanded as he lifted her head so that she was looking into his eyes. "You have nothing to be ashamed of, certainly not with me. I'm not perfect, far from it."

She opened her mouth to correct him, but he silenced her with a passionate kiss.

"I'm not perfect," he repeated as his eyes bore into hers, "You are not perfect despite my claims that you are, but we are perfect for each other. That's all that matters. We're Blair and Chuck, Chuck and Blair, two halves of a perfect whole. We'll get through this. I'll be right by your side. No matter how long it takes, no matter how much money I have to spend. You will get better."

"Yes, I will," she nodded with more confidence than she actually felt. She melted into his arms as he held her close for several moments. She closed her eyes and allowed his presence to calm her stomach and nerves. A clearing of a throat interrupted their moment.

"Blair, are you okay?" Eleanor asked in a shaky voice as she approached the pair hesitantly as Blair pulled away from Chuck reluctantly. Chuck could see the pools of tears in Eleanor's eyes. She was visibly upset with herself.

"I am," she nodded, "At least I will be."

"I'm sorry if anything I did or said was taken negatively. I didn't mean it the way it must have sounded. I do want you to succeed, Sweetheart," Eleanor stated, "And although I am stunned by your announcement to enter the fashion industry, I know you'll do well. You've always had fabulous taste."

"Thank you," Blair stated as she released Chuck and walked into her mother's arms and hugged her.

"I love you, Sweetheart," Eleanor stated as she held her daughter tight as tears rolled down her face.

"I love you too," Blair whispered.

"We should go back inside," Eleanor announced, "It's rather chilly."

"I hadn't noticed," Blair stated as Chuck's arm came around her shoulder to keep her warm as they followed Eleanor back into the dining room. Chuck winked at her as he gave her his devilish grin.

**TBC. . .**

**Don't be shy, everyone. Reviews inspire me to continue.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. They belong to Cecily von Zeigesar and The CW.**

"How was your week, Blair?" Doctor Boyd inquired as Blair and Chuck walked into her therapist's office. Doctor Boyd was a little taken aback that Chuck was joining them, but Blair had asked Chuck to come with her the previous evening before they fell into bed. Naturally Chuck had dropped everything to take Blair to her appointment.

"It was an interesting week," Blair announced as she took a seat with Chuck sitting right next to her.

"You know we have to clarify that statement," Doctor Boyd scolded her.

Blair pulled out her journal and began flipping through it to jog her memory of the prior week's events.

"The night of our last therapy session, Chuck and I had dinner with Serena and Nate. I told them what happened during spring break," Blair began.

"That's a big step for you," Doctor Boyd announced. His surprise was evident in his voice and facial expressions. "You did your best to keep your illness a secret from everyone before."

"And I believe that may be a hindrance in my recovery," Blair stated, "The relief I felt at telling them was overwhelming positive. It felt good."

"Nate didn't know about your bulimia while you were dating. How did he take the news?" Doctor Boyd inquired.

"He took it better than I had expected him to," Blair admitted, "I always felt as if I was wearing a mask when I was with Nate. I had to be perfect at all times in order for him to want to be with me. Ultimately I suppose that was our downfall. When I told him what had happened during spring break, I think that was the first time he's ever really been confronted with the news directly. I'm sure he'd heard whisperings about it back when we were dating, but he never asked me directly and I certainly never told him. I guess I didn't give him a lot of credit."

"And Mister Bass, you obviously give him a lot of credit," Doctor Boyd announced as he nodded his head towards the young man sitting next to her.

"Chuck is different. He's seen me at my absolute worst. There has never been that judgment in his eyes that I would occasionally see in Nate's. He just accepted me for who I was . . . pushing me only when I needed it," she explained as she reached for his hand, caressing it gently.

"From our first session, when you described your relationship with him, it sounds complicated," the doctor stated. Chuck laughed at Doctor Boyd's blatant understatement.

"It was at first," Blair agreed, "Just getting into our relationship was complicated. Without going into a lot of Chuck's details, commitment is a big phobia for him."

"Was a big phobia," Chuck amended as he kissed her hand gently, "I don't fear commitment anymore."

"Does Chuck's fear of commitment worry you?" the doctor asked.

"Maybe a little," Blair admitted. She expected Chuck to get mad so she continued to explain why she felt as she did. "Chuck, you were such a playboy before we finally got together, sleeping with different women every night. How can one person be enough for you?"

"Because I love you," he stated simply.

"It's just that simple," she stated in disbelief.

"It's that simple," he nodded his head.

"Chuck, why did you fear commitment before Blair?" the therapist asked curiously.

"Isn't this Blair's therapy session?" Chuck inquired as he gave his best brooding stare.

"It is," Doctor Boyd confirmed, "But you are a large part of Blair's life. If there are issues in your life that are affecting Blair, it's beneficial for both of you to work through them."

"Why do I fear commitment," Chuck stated as he slumped back in his chair slightly as he collected his thoughts, "Where do I start?"

Blair and Doctor Boyd allowed him the necessary time he needed before he began to speak again.

"I suppose we could start with my mother dying," he stated. For sake of the doctor, Chuck explained how his mother had died. "Growing up, my father was the only constant in my life. I had one nanny after another put in charge of my upbringing. All were dismissed fairly quickly, either because their affairs with my father became too serious for him or because they were simply inadequate caretakers. I learned very quickly to not get attached to anyone after the one nanny that I bonded with was suddenly gone the morning after Christmas when I was five."

Blair gasped when she made the connection to his previous statement he'd made about not having a decent Christmas since he was five.

"My father was committed to one thing, his work. I was an inconvenience to him and a painful reminder of what he had lost," Chuck continued on.

"Did your father ever speak about your mother?" Doctor Boyd inquired.

"No," Chuck shook his head, "He had a picture of her that he kept in his bedroom when I was younger, but one day it disappeared. I never saw it again until the day I took over Bass Industries and found it sitting on his desk in his office. What I know about my mother, I know from the few people who knew her before she died and the few unfocused home movies that I have."

"Your relationship with your father . . . it was strained," Doctor Boyd concluded, "Did you share any of the same interests?"

"Single malt scotch and beautiful women," he stated sarcastically.

"How old were you when your father started to date?" Doctor Boyd inquired.

"Sixteen," Chuck stated, "When he began wooing Lily van der Woodsen."

"But Chuck," Blair began.

"He didn't date before then, he simply used and discarded," Chuck clarified, "Where do you think I learned the behavior?"

"I didn't realize," Blair responded quietly.

"Using women isn't something that just came naturally to me, Blair," Chuck assured her, "It was what I thought was normal behavior. It wasn't until I was twelve or maybe thirteen that I realized that my father's way of life was abnormal, but I already had found myself following in his path. The sex felt good so I just went with it. The drinking and drugs soon followed, or maybe they superceded it. I can't be too sure anymore."

"When did all of that change?" Doctor Boyd asked as he took down a few notes.

"The night Blair and I slept together for the first time . . . I can't call it sex because it was more than that, but as much as I want to I can't call it making love either," Chuck explained.

"Why was this encounter different?" Doctor Boyd asked.

"Because I respected Blair," he stated, "I've never respected other women, but Blair has always had it."

"What did I do to earn your respect?" Blair inquired.

"That is the billion dollar question," he sighed, "Honestly, I don't know. I know that when I see you . . . I see the real you, not the one that you show the world. You always seemed to let your guard down around me. With Nathaniel, you seemed to be playing a part, but when he wasn't around, you were you. You weren't trying to impress me."

"I didn't feel the need to impress you," Blair admitted. She thought that her admission might hurt his feelings but he merely laughed.

"You were always this unattainable being. You were pristine . . . completely untouched and untouchable," he marveled, "But then that night at Victrola happened. I never thought you'd find the courage to get up on stage and dance, but you did. You were fearless. When we rode home in the limo, it was you that made the first move. Here this unattainable, pristine goddess was offering herself to me as she had to no one else before. Why did you do it? Why did you choose me to be your first? I'm Chuck Bass for pity sake. What the hell were you thinking?"

"I wanted my first time to be with someone who saw the real me. I think that's why no matter how much I tried to push Nate into being that person, it always backfired on me. In the moment that we came together, there was no place to hide," she stated, "I never felt safe enough with Nate."

"You showed no fear," he marveled, "I was scared shitlless my first time, and I'm a guy. You just let me guide you . . .you trusted me to take care of you. I don't know if anyone has ever done that before."

"People may see you as some lowly spoiled playboy prince of the Upper East Side, but I knew better, even back then," she stated.

"You regretted our night together," he stated in a matter of fact tone of voice.

"I didn't regret that night together," she scoffed, "That night was amazing. I might have regretted that I acted so hastily and that I completely disregarded a relationship that I had been in for years for one night with his best friend. Given the chance, I probably would have done everything the same way . . . especially now that I know where that one night took us."

"The church confession?" he prompted with the need for her to clarify where he found her the next morning.

"I was trying to get my head together," she explained why she needed to go tell a complete stranger what had happened between the two of them, "I'd been planning and plotting my first time forever. When it happened, it wasn't how I saw it. You know me and my need to plan out every little detail of my life. What was even more disconcerting was the fact that I liked how it happened. I liked that it wasn't planned . . . that it came from nowhere and that despite the fact that it was my first time it was amazing."

Chuck smirked with pride. They had an amazing sex life. That much he knew, but to hear her confess that the one night that meant so much to him had been just as enjoyable to her boosted his ego in ways that were completely unimaginable.

"You too seem to have a healthy sex life. Blair, you gave me that impression when you restarted therapy a few weeks ago," Doctor Boyd stated, "Is that a fair assessment?"

Both Chuck and Blair nodded their heads as Blair looked at Chuck with a smug grin.

"What is the longest that the two of you have gone in between making love?" Doctor Boyd inquired curiously.

"A couple days," Blair shrugged.

"Six days," Chuck amended as he held up six fingers.

"When was that?" Blair inquired curiously as her eyes grew wide in surprise.

"During your finals," he explained, "You were so stressed out that I didn't even attempt to make any advances."

"What does all of this have to do with my therapy?" Blair asked curiously.

"Your self-consciousness about your body has always been one of your biggest issues," Doctor Boyd explained, "Do you ever get self-conscious when you are together intimately?"

"Not during," Blair stated, "Sometimes afterwards."

"Chuck, how do you see Blair's body?" Doctor Boyd asked.

"It's perfect," he marveled.

"Perfection is a dangerous word for those with an eating disorder like Blair's," Doctor Boyd informed them, "Perfection by definition is impossible to achieve. To give Blair that label is to set her up for failure."

"How can it be impossible to achieve when I already believe that she's there?" Chuck inquired, "I wouldn't change one thing about her."

"But what happens if one thing does change?" Doctor Boyd inquired, "Say she gains a few pounds during the holidays. She then sees that she has to do whatever it takes to get back to that vision she has in her head of what you thing perfection is."

"Then let me clarify my original statement," Chuck demanded as he took both of Blair's hands as he knelt before her to look her straight in the eyes so there would be no doubt or misunderstandings, "Blair, you are perfect. You will always be perfect in my eyes no matter now you look. I love you. Whatever it takes to get you to see that, I will do it."

"Blair, what do you think it would take to get Chuck to assure you that he sees you as perfect no matter how you look?" Doctor Boyd inquired.

"I think we're already there," Blair stated as she brushed a few stray tears away that had fallen at his declaration as she saw the seriousness in his eyes. She leaned in to kiss him softly on the lips.

"Chuck, I would like you to work on something," Doctor Boyd requested.

Chuck returned to his seat as he looked at the doctor expectantly.

"I would like you to stop using the word perfect in your description of Blair. Perfectionists like Blair take its meaning too literal and it starts to take on negative connotations," Doctor Boyd stated, "And Blair, I'd like you to focus on letting life happen. We've discussed this before. Life can get messy. Let it. Your life doesn't need to be perfect. You don't need to be the perfect girlfriend or the perfect daughter or the perfect student."

Blair and Chuck both nodded in agreement.

"And by all means help each other," Doctor Boyd encouraged them, "It is very clear that you two are deeply in love and that you have a strong relationship. You both encourage and support each other. Use this relationship to its full advantage."

"We need to talk about tea with your mother," Chuck stated as he looked at her.

"That didn't go as well as expected," Blair sighed.

"You're avoiding the issue," Chuck scolded.

"What happened at tea?" Doctor Boyd inquired as he made another note in his book.

Blair went on to explain about her internship and what happened when she told her mother about it.

"Do you believe that she was just stunned by the news as she stated?" Doctor Boyd inquired.

"I want to believe it," Blair nodded, "Really I do. I don't want to distrust my mother, but I have a right to be skeptical. Our relationship has always been difficult and self serving on both of our parts for so many years. I think our problem is that we're too much alike."

"You are nothing like Eleanor," Chuck added quickly.

"Are you sure about that?" Blair responded, "She wasn't always like she is now."

"Do you worry about turning into your mother?" Doctor Boyd asked.

"I worry about putting any daughter that I may or may not have through what I went through," Blair responded, "To be judged for every little thing that I did or didn't do. This was inevitable."

"What was inevitable?" Chuck inquired. He was confused as to where she was going with her thoughts.

"This relapse," she realized, "How could I expect to get better when every conversation that I've been having with her lately has me feeling like I've disappointed her? Maybe we just need to give up completely."

"That's not the solution," Doctor Boyd stated. Chuck was ready to say the exact same thing. "We'll work on your relationship with your mother. It's time that we all sit down and really hash things out. You two have been tiptoeing around each other since you began therapy. It's time that you two stopped worrying about disappointing each other and laid all your cards out on the table."

"Time's up, right," Blair announced hopefully.

"For today," Doctor Boyd confirmed, "But I'd like you both to come back next week for a report of how you are doing . . . if it's possible."

"It is," Chuck confirmed as he pulled out his phone to send a quick note to Eugenia to block out the necessary time.

"And Blair, I'd like for your mother to join us," Doctor Boyd announced.

Blair groaned at the prospect of having her mother in therapy with her again, but she nodded and told the doctor that she would ask her mother that afternoon. Chuck promised to follow up with Blair when he returned home in the evening which earned a scowl from Blair. Doctor Boyd chuckled as the pair left the office.

"Lunch?" Chuck inquired as they made their way to their awaiting limo hand in hand.

"Only if you have time," Blair replied.

"Always for you," he stated as he leaned in to kiss her before they got in.

**TBC. . .**

**Keep the reviews rolling. I like to know you're enjoying the reading as much as I'm enjoying the writing.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. They belong to Cecily von Zeigesar and The CW.**

"Blair, Baby, I'm home," Chuck called out that evening as he stepped off the elevator. He was anxious to see her as he always was but tonight felt different for some unknown reason. He'd had a hard time concentrating at work. Eugenia had noticed and sent him home early as he wasn't doing anyone any good by staying. As usual, he took her advice.

"I'm in the office, studying," she called out to him from her office. Her revelation hadn't surprised him. She was still very much the bookworm she was at Constance. "You're home early."

He quickly unloaded his possessions before he made a turn into his office to see her sitting at his desk with her head buried in her textbook. She paused when she felt his presence, looking up to give him a smile that left him breathless for a moment.

"How's the studying going?" Chuck inquired as he stepped around his desk to begin massaging her shoulders as his lips caressed the nape of her neck.

"I'm almost finished for the night," she assured him, "I have a few more pages left to read. I'll meet you in the bedroom in fifteen minutes."

"Deal," he replied as she turned so that he could kiss her lips. Their kiss turned more passionate than either had intended. They were breathless as they forced themselves to pull away.

"Ten minutes," she amended as he leaned in to kiss her quickly one more time before he forced himself from the room.

* * *

"What's all this?" Blair inquired as she entered their bedroom to find dozens of lit candles spread throughout the room. Chuck was standing at the window, smiling as he watched the lights below. Blair strolled towards him, and he pulled her eagerly into his arms as they continued to watch the city lights.

"Took you long enough," he mumbled against her skin as he began to nuzzle her neck.

"I had to finally give up," she admitted as she watched the New York lights pass all the while losing herself in the sensation of his touch, "I read the same sentence twenty times. I kept getting distracted by the fact that you were only a few rooms away."

"I'm sorry," he apologized as he smiled against her skin, "I can take a walk through Central Park and give you time to study if you need it."

"Don't be silly," she stated as she turned in his arms and pulled him closer to her before he had a chance to make good on his threat. "I want you right here with me, always."

"Do you ever find yourself thinking that this is all a fantastic dream? That one day you'll wake up and none of what we have has ever happened?" he inquired as his hands lightly trailed down her sides before he ensnared her waist.

"I hope not," she frowned, "But if it is, I hope I never wake. This dream is perfect."

"Careful, Waldorf, we're not supposed to use that word, remember," he chided her.

"Since you brought up our therapy session, I want to let you know that I called my mother, and she'll be joining us next week," Blair stated with a slight pout, "She made a bit of a fuse about it because she has to cancel a meeting with a buyer from Macy's, but she'll be there."

"I'll make sure that the meeting is rescheduled and not cancelled," he promised her. He was a little annoyed that Eleanor had made such a fuss although he should have expected it.

"I didn't realize you had pull at Macy's," she teased.

"Do I really need to say it?" he grinned devilishly. She smirked as she waited for his inevitable next comment. "I'm Chuck Bass."

"I love the way you say that," she giggled, "You make it sound so innocent, yet so dirty."

"Nobody has ever accused me of being innocent of anything," he laughed out.

"How was your day?" Blair inquired as she began to loosen his tie. He'd already discarded his suit jacket and removed his cherished cufflinks and tie clip, but he left the rest for her. He knew she saw him as a present that she could unwrap. It was just like watching her open presents at Christmas.

"I had trouble focusing after I dropped you off at the penthouse after lunch," he admitted, "Eugenia finally had enough and kicked me out of the office."

"I love your assistant," Blair laughed as she threw his tie aside as she began to work his buttons expertly.

"She's an older version of you," Chuck laughed, "She has this way about her that has me doing everything she wants me to do and think that it's all my idea. It's eerie."

"Is that what I do?" Blair inquired.

"Absolutely," he growled as she rolled her hips into him, "For example, right now you want me to carry you to that bed over there and have my way with you. You're going to let me think that this is my idea, but really you've been planning this since I stepped of the elevator tonight."

"We've both been planning this since you stepped off the elevator," she amended as he lifted her off her feet so that her legs wrapped around his waist, "This is who we are, remember, two incredibly passionate people that need to share those urges with each other as often as possible."

"I don't know how I make it through the day without you sometimes," he stated as he took a few careful steps towards their bed as he tried to avoid the clothes that she had thrown haphazardly around their room, "Do you know how many times a day my mind wanders to you? If I wasn't the boss, I'm sure I'd have been fired after a few days."

"And when your mind wanders," she prompted him as she felt herself being lowered to the bed as she sunk into the silk comforter, "Where does it go?"

"Right here," he stated as he slid her up the bed as he crawled over her, his lips fusing with her neck as he gently began sucking her skin, not enough to leave a mark, but just enough to cause her to cry out in pleasure, "Right to this very room, doing the very thing that I currently am doing."

"Working me into a frenzy," she surmised.

"What about you, Waldorf," he whispered into her ear as he worked on removing her clothes upon looking down to see that she was still fully dressed, "Does your mind wander to me while sitting in that stuffy class room at NYU?"

"Always," she gasped as his lips kissed a trail from her collarbone down to the valley between her breasts.

"And what am I doing to you during these wandering moments?" he teased as her blouse fell away, leaving her in her pleated skirt, lingerie and silk stockings. Her skirt had his mind instantly flashing back to their high school days. She had drove him crazy back then as she wanders the halls. "Something dirty perhaps?"

Blair looked at him with a stunned expression on her face.

"Come on, Blair," he encouraged her, "Let me help you live out your fantasies."

"I still have my dorm room," she stated teasingly.

"And I hope you have some sort of point," he groaned. How he hated to be reminded of the room that she kept on campus. It was as if she felt the need to have a fall back for some unknown reason. Her reasons were practical. She needed a quiet place to study in between classes, and when she needed to have study sessions it was the ideal place for everyone to meet.

"My point is that I have never truly experience dorm room sex. That is a right of passage for a college bound student that I have yet to experience. If I didn't know better, Bass, I'd say you were purposely denying me of that experience," she teased.

"You know me better than that," he smirked as he pulled away ever so slightly, "I'd never deny you anything, especially when it comes to our bedroom activities. I can have the limo brought around in ten minutes."

"Not so fast, Bass," she stated as she tightened her legs around his waist, holding him to her, "We are not leaving this bedroom until our urges have been satisfied. I don't know about you, but the sex talk we had in Doctor Boyd's office left me desperately needing the release that only you can give me."

"Had I realized that I would have forgone lunch and feasted on you instead," he proclaimed as he began to remove her clothing with renewed vigor, "You certainly taste better than some overpriced gourmet meal served by some out of work actor that was ready to ravish you the second I left the table."

"Then it was a good thing you didn't leave my side," she cooed as his hands caressed her suddenly bare legs as they travel up her body, "Because ravishing me is your job."

"Mine and only mine," he stated possessively as he sunk back into her as he captured her lips roughly.

"Chuck," she gasped for air.

"Blair," he groaned hungrily as he removed the remaining shreds of their clothing and slid into her. They both hissed in pleasure.

"This feels too good," Blair gasped as they settled into a familiar yet frenzied rhythm as she held onto him for the ride.

"Never enough," tumbled from his lips as they kept going.

"Tell me you love me," she requested as she tugged at the hair at the nape of his neck.

"I love you," he responded without missing a heartbeat, "I love you so much."

"I love you too," she added.

"Tell me you're close, Baby," he groaned as he felt the familiar release building within him. He'd never release without her joining him. He never had.

"I'm close," she assured him as his lips crashed down against hers, "Let go. I'm right behind you."

"Never going to happen," he groaned as he fought off the orgasm that threatened, "I'll never sacrifice your pleasure for my own."

A moan escaped deep within her throat as his speed increased.

"Let go, Princess," he whispered, "You know you want too."

His encouragement was exactly what she need as she came immediately, crashing down in wave after wave of pleasure. He released right after her before he collapsed on top of her, both completely spent of energy.

"You should give lessons on how to make love," Blair giggled softly as she held him tight against her.

"Not a chance," he scoffed, "Our bedroom activities are not for the viewing public. They shouldn't even be for the listening public, but there are days were we can't seem to control ourselves and our urges for each other. Besides, I'd hate for the masses to become upset seeing as how hopelessly second rate everyone is compared to me."

"When it comes to the art of sex and making love, your ego is larger than the Goodyear Blimp," she teased.

"And with good reason," he smirked, not taking the bait as he knew she was trying to goad him into an argument which would end with him feeling the need to prove how superior a lover he was. He tried to roll away from her to give her the room that she probably needed, but as always she held him close.

"Don't move," she commanded him as her legs wrapped around him tighter.

"You love feeling me inside you after we've made love, don't you," he realized.

"God yes," she moaned as he shifted slightly so that he was supporting more of his weight with his arms without sacrificing the connection they had in their lower body.

"And why is that?" he asked curiously.

"Because when we're connected is when I feel whole," she stated.

"You are whole without me inside you, Blair," he whispered softly.

"I don't feel whole without you," she admitted, "There are days in which I don't even feel like half of myself."

"We need to talk about this," he stated as his hands grasped her legs and gently released them from around his waist so that he could roll away from her.

"What is there to talk about?" she inquired as she rolled so that her head could rest on his chest as she tried to snuggle against him.

"Blair, I'm Chuck Bass," he stated.

"Trust me, I know," she replied as she looked at him in confusion.

"Seriously, I'm Chuck Bass, and you're Blair Waldorf. We don't need other people in our life to know who we are or to complete us," he stated, "We exist on our own and compliment each other. If you're not feeling whole without me, then we have a problem."

"How could us being together be a problem?" she snapped as she rolled away.

"If us being together causes you to forget who you are . . . that's the problem," Chuck responded, grasping her arm so she couldn't get to far, "We can be what we are together without forgetting who we are away from each other. We should be in each other's lives, not be each other's lives. That's not healthy for either of us."

She felt the tears begin to build in her eyes at his apparent rejection of her.

"Blair, Baby, I don't want to upset you," he continued as he leaned over to begin wiping away the tears that began trailing down her cheeks, "I love you so much, but we have to find the balance between who we are as individuals and who we are as a committed couple. Maybe us living together so soon after starting our relationship was a mistake."

"How can you say that?" she hissed angrily as she pushed him away.

"Because somewhere between us committing to each other and where we are now, you seem to have lost who you are," he stated as he pulled her close, fighting to keep her against him as she struggled to pull away. "You are Blair Waldorf, and I don't want you to ever forget that. I don't want you to forget that person that I fell in love with . . . the person that I fall more in love with each morning when I wake up next to her."

"Well tomorrow morning you can forget it," she stated as she slipped off the bed, flying towards her closet as she began getting dressed.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he exclaimed as he saw her pull out a suitcase and begin throwing some of her belongings into it.

"I'm leaving," she snapped.

"What do you mean you're leaving?" he pressed as his heart stopped beating for several moments as her words seemed to stab him in the heart, "You cannot seriously be ending our relationship over this."

"Don't be obserd. I'm not breaking up with you," she snapped, "I'm just leaving for the night. I'm too mad at you to stay here. I need to go somewhere and calm down . . . think things through. We'll talk when I'm done thinking."

"Where will you go?" Chuck asked, his concern for her well being evident in his eyes.

"To the dorms maybe," she shrugged as she zipped up her bag and began rolling it out of their bedroom, "Or back to my mothers. I don't really know yet."

"Please let me know where you end up," he demanded with pleading eyes as he grabbed a hold of her arm preventing her from leaving, "I want to know that you're okay and safe."

"I will," she assured him as she paused momentarily to rise up on her tiptoes to kiss him softly. He thought for a moment that she was changing her mind about leaving, but she pulled away just as the thought entered his mind as she left.

Chuck crumbled immediately to the floor as he broke down in the most painful sob he'd ever felt in his life. The one thing he'd been dreading for the ten months they had been together had happened. She'd left, just like everyone else he'd ever loved in his life had.

**TBC . . .**

**A little drama . . . keep the reviews rolling.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. They belong to Cecily von Zeigesar and The CW.**

**I cannot thank you all enough for your support with this story. Your reviews have been wonderful and truly inspiring.**

Chuck didn't remember how he got to bed, why he had such a bad headache, or why his shoulder was in so much pain as he awoke the next morning that he nearly passed out. His first thought was to call Blair to make sure that she was okay. Her phone had been shut off when he'd made the attempt as it went straight to voicemail. He didn't leave a message as he ended the call. Instead he hit Nate's speed dial number and had him come over immediately.

"What the hell happened?" Nate exclaimed as he stepped off the elevator to be greeted by Chuck wearing a pair of track pants but no shirt and his left arm hanging limply at his side.

"I think I got loaded last night and dislocated my shoulder," Chuck admitted as he rubbed his temple to try and relieve the pain in his head that his best friend's shout had amplified.

"Where is Blair?" Nate asked.

"She left last night," Chuck spoke softly as the tears in his eyes began to build.

"Did you break up?" Nate gasped.

"I don't think so," Chuck shook his head, "She said she just needed time to think. She's been going through a lot these past few weeks. She doesn't need to know about this."

"No kidding she's been through a lot," Nate rolled his eyes, "But Chuck, she'd want to know if you're hurt. She'd want to be with you."

"Just help me get this shirt on and then take me to the emergency room," Chuck requested as he held up a rare t-shirt from his closet, "We'll deal with the rest after my shoulder is put back into place. The pain is killing me."

"In your shoulder or in your heart?" Nate inquired as he began to work with Chuck to get his limp arm through the sleeve. Chuck cried out in pain several times and nearly passed out once before they decided to forgo the shirt and just slung a coat around his shoulders as they left his penthouse.

"Are you planning on telling me what happened that caused Blair to leave the penthouse?" Nate inquired as they waited for the x-rays of Chuck's shoulder to be developed before the doctor would even consider trying to pop his shoulder back in the socket.

"I can't right now," Chuck stated as a lone tear fell down his cheek.

"But this is only temporary," Nate tried to confirm.

"Yes," Chuck responded as he nodded his head, trying to sound definitive about the answer although inside he wasn't so sure.

"Do you remember how you hurt yourself?" Nate inquired.

"It's all a blur," Chuck admitted, "From the empty bottle of vodka on the floor of the bedroom, I'd say that I'd had too much to drink. Either I ran into something accidentally or I did this on purpose. Either way, it hurts like hell."

"Vodka, huh," Nate picked up, "You're really worried about her. You only drink vodka when you're really upset or worried."

"Damn straight I'm worried about her," Chuck snapped, "She's so lost right now, and I feel like I'm partly to blame."

"No, you're not!" Blair gasped as she came rushing into the room, worry and panic evident in her voice as she rushed to his side.

"How did you know I was here?" Chuck asked as she kissed his forehead. His eyes closed reflectively as he reveled at the sensation of her lips against his skin. His shoulder hurt like hell but at the moment her lips brushed against his skin he felt no pain.

"I called her," Nate admitted as he stood up from his seat next to Chuck.

"What the hell, Nathaniel," Chuck exclaimed as he gave his friend a murderous look. If looks truly could kill, Nate would have been dead at that moment.

"You need her here," Nate explained as he quickly left the room.

"Does it hurt?" Blair inquired as she stroked his shoulder gently. She knew it was a stupid question as soon as she asked it, but she couldn't stop the words in time.

"Yes, it hurts," he snapped. She flinched at the harshness of his tone and instantly he was regretting his response. "I'm sorry . . . that was uncalled for. This isn't your fault."

"I shouldn't have left you last night," Blair stated as she stroked his hair gently as his head came to rest against her shoulder, "I regretted it as soon as I got to the dorms, but I was too stubborn to call for the limo to come get me. The thoughts that must have been going through your head. I should know better than that."

"I'm sorry for what I said last night," Chuck stated as he closed his eyes as she kissed his forehead again, "I didn't mean to upset you."

"I know," she sighed, "You want me to get better. I can't fault you for that. And you're right when you said I'm so lost right now, but you are not to blame for that . . . Why didn't you want Nate to call me?"

"I didn't want you to feel obligated to be here," he responded. It sounded stupid even as he said it. Of course she would want to be there for him. She didn't even dignify his answer with a response other than to give him a scathing glance.

"What happened?" she inquired softly.

"I don't know," he admitted sheepishly.

"How much alcohol did you consume?" she pressed.

"I polished off the bottle of vodka," he stated.

"Chuck, that bottle hadn't even been opened," she gasped.

"I know," he nodded, "I remember the first three drinks, but then everything starts to get a little blurry. I don't remember how I hurt my shoulder or even when. All I know is that I woke up with a monstrous hangover and an even more painful shoulder."

"It's the same shoulder you used to break down the bathroom door a few weeks ago," she observed. He hadn't even thought about that. He'd been in a slight amount of pain since then, but nothing compared to what he was in now. "What has the doctor said?"

"Not much," Chuck groaned as he tried to shift closer to her and felt his shoulder twinge in pain caused by the slight movement, "We're waiting on the x-rays. It's obvious that it's dislocated, but he doesn't want to do anything until he knows that it's just dislocated and not something worse that might require surgery."

"Surgery!" she gasped.

"It's a possibility," Chuck nodded. She gave him a look of absolute terror. "It's okay, Baby. It will be minor surgery if it's required," he tried to assure her.

"Surgery," she repeated as tears sprang into her eyes. The thought of anything marring his beautiful skin, even a surgical scar, was hard for her to swallow.

The doctor came into the room at that moment with Chuck's x-rays in his hand. Blair quickly dried her eyes as she looked expectantly at the doctor, who was looking over the films in the bright light.

"Good news, Mister Bass," the doctor smiled.

"Chuck," he mumbled grumpily. Blair gave in a scolding look as she waited for the doctor to continue.

"It's a simple dislocation," the doctor continued, "All we'll need to do is reset the shoulder, put you in a brace, and you'll be as good as new in a month or so."

"A month," Blair repeated in surprise.

"Maybe more, maybe less," the doctor stated, "And you'll need to take a week off of work. No physical activity during that time."

"When you say physical activity, what do you mean by that?" Chuck asked nervously, "Does that mean that sex is out of the picture?"

"Yes," the doctor stated.

"I'd like a second opinion," Chuck stated dryly.

"How long is it out of the picture?" Blair asked shyly. She wasn't nearly as bold as Chuck when it came to discussing sex with anyone other than him.

"For at least the week," the doctor stated, "Perhaps more . . . it depends on how fast the shoulder begins to heal."

Chuck looked at Blair wide eyed in panic. They'd never make it a week without making love. They barely made it a day, and they had some serious making up to do after the previous evening.

"I'm going to call in a nurse to assist in resetting your shoulder. Miss, you should leave," the doctor stated as he looked to Blair.

"No," Blair shook her head defiantly, "I'm not leaving him."

"Blair, go find Nate in the waiting room and tell him the good news," Chuck encouraged her, "By the time you get back, my shoulder will be reset and you can take me home and begin nursing me back to health."

"No," she shook her head again as she was determined to hold her ground.

"Can you go get the nurse while I speak with Blair?" Chuck asked the doctor. The man nodded in agreement as he left the room.

"I'm not leaving," Blair insisted as soon as they were alone.

"Blair, this is going to hurt like hell," Chuck explained gently, "There is going to be a lot of cursing and yelling, and I don't think you'll be able to handle it. You passed out at the sight of a little blood not too long ago."

"I want to be here for you," she stated as tears welled in her eyes again.

"You already are," he assured her as he kissed her hand and then held her palm to his chest where she could feel the rhythmic beating of his heart, "You're always with me."

"I love you, Bass," she sighed.

"I love you too," he replied as she leaned in to kiss him, "Please leave. I'll have the nurse come get you as soon as they finish setting my shoulder. I promise."

"Okay," she whispered as she kissed him once more before she reluctantly left the room just as the doctor returned with a nurse following directly behind him. She wasn't out of earshot before she heard Chuck's distinct curses of pain. She walked a little quicker to the waiting room where Nate was sitting nervously. She had tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Is he okay?" Nate inquired as Blair walked directly into his arms. She nodded her head against his chest. She couldn't get over the feeling of how completely wrong it felt to have Nate's arms around her. It had been only a year ago that she was trying to convince herself that what she was currently feeling was right.

"He'll be okay," she stated as she stepped away quickly.

"How upset is he that I called you?" he inquired.

"I don't think that is at the forefront of his thoughts at the present moment," Blair stated, "They are resetting his shoulder right now."

"That's going to hurt," Nate stated as if it wasn't already blatantly obviously.

"He has to take a week off of work and can have no physical activities during that time," Blair stated.

"Does that mean that you can't . . ." Nate's voice trailed off as he blushed in embarrassment.

Why did this man always seem to blush when the topic of sex came up like he was a twelve-year-old little boy looking at a picture of a naked woman for the first time? Blair tried to recall if she ever really thought this was charming.

"No, Nate, Chuck and I can't make love for at least a week," Blair stated in annoyance.

Nate chuckled in amusement. There was no way Chuck was going to last that long.

"Glad to know that your best friend's suffering is so amusing to you," Blair snapped as she slapped his shoulder as hard as she could. She grinned with satisfaction as he rubbed his shoulder in obvious discomfort.

"Ms. Waldorf, Mister Bass is asking to see you," the nurse Blair had seen entering Chuck's room moments earlier stated.

Blair shot Nate an annoyed look as she followed the nurse back to Chuck's room.

"Is Chuck okay?" Blair inquired as she walked beside the nurse.

"He's in a lot of pain right now, but that should subside very soon. The doctor gave him some medication for the pain," the nurse explained, "Mister Bass said that you'd most likely be taking care of him while he recovers, so we'll need to go over his recuperation procedures. I'll also need to show you how to remove and put on his shoulder brace."

"I'd most likely be taking care of him," Blair repeated as she stepped into Chuck's room once more as the doctor was fitting his brace over the scrub shirt that he had been given as he'd come into the ER in nothing more than track pants and a jacket and it was still March in New York City.

"Well, I didn't want to make any assumptions," Chuck responded as he flinched when the doctor pulled one of the straps of the brace a little too tight for his liking.

"If you weren't already in an enormous amount of pain, I'd smack you for that," Blair stated as she ran her hand through his messed up hair. It was sticking out in a hundred different directions like it typically did first thing in the morning when he woke up, and she knew how much that usually bothered him.

"So you'll be playing nurse for the week," he smirked as his eyes grew wide in excitement.

"When I'm not in class, yes," she confirmed, her eyes glaring at him as the nurse handed her a piece of paper with the instructions that she'd need to care of her new patient. Her eyes went wide in surprise as she glanced over the words 'sponge bath'. Chuck was going to love that. The nurse then proceeded to show Blair how to remove and put on his shoulder brace as the doctor worked up his discharge papers.

Blair had a feeling that Chuck was throwing money around to get discharged as soon as possible. Even the most efficient hospitals didn't work this fast. She'd call him out on it later when he wasn't in as much pain as he currently was.

"There's my traitorous best friend," Chuck stated as Blair walked him into the waiting room where she insisted on stopping to tell Nate that they were finished. Chuck had wanted to leave Nate there for a few hours as punishment for going against his wishes, but Blair would have none of it. "Nathaniel, you'd lucky that my girlfriend is such the kind and generous person that she is. I would have left you here had she given me the chance."

"I'm sorry, Chuck," Nate stated defensively, "But you and I both know Blair would have murdered us both had I not called her."

Chuck looked at Blair who was nodded in confirmation of Nate's statement, so Chuck let the conversation drop. Fortunately the pain medication was beginning to take effect, so he wasn't feeling much of anything at the moment other that the warm and fuzzy feeling that was associated with the strong dose he'd been given. If he hadn't known better, he would have sworn that he was stoned.

Chuck wouldn't remember getting into the limo or returning to the penthouse were Blair and Nate struggled to keep him on his feet so they could get him to the bedroom.

"This feels vaguely familiar," Nate quipped as Blair pulled off Chuck's shoes before she helped him into bed.

"If you bring up Bart's funeral and the state we found him in, I'm going to pulverize you," Blair cautioned him as Chuck fell back against the bed softly, his face contorting with the sudden pain that the jarring motion caused his shoulder before he drifted off to sleep. Blair pulled the covers over his shoulder to tuck him in before she shoved Nate unceremoniously out of the bedroom before he had the thought to look around to take in the details. She hated that Nate had to help her get Chuck into their room. Nobody had ever seen their bedroom other than their maid.

"Do you need anything?" Nate inquired as Blair walked with him to the elevator.

"No, we'll be fine," Blair assured him.

"Chuck told me about you leaving last night," Nate spoke softly, "If you want to talk about it. I'll listen."

"That's a sweet offer," Blair smiled shyly, "But I'll be okay. He's been my rock through all of this. He'll get me through."

"If you need anything, call me, please," Nate requested as he kissed her cheek before he left the penthouse.

Blair sighed as she returned to the bedroom and climbed into bed next to a soundly sleeping Chuck. She carefully put her arm around his waist and snuggled against him. She hadn't slept well the night before and the exhaustion was catching up with her. Even if Nate hadn't called with his emergency, there was no way she would have been going to class that day.

Even in his sleep, Chuck managed to find her hand with his good arm and entwine their fingers together. A smile found her lips as she snuggled a little closer to him as she joined him in his slumber.

**TBC. . . **


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. They belong to Cecily von Zeigesar and The CW.**

Chuck's mournful groan awoke Blair from her peaceful slumber. When her eyes snapped open, he was no longer by her side.

"Chuck," she called out for him, slightly frantic as she sat up abruptly as she looked around their room.

"Bathroom," he called out to her.

Blair was on her feet in mere moments as she scrambled into the bathroom to find him slumped against the counter banging his fist in pain.

"Are you okay?" she inquired as she came up to him and rubbed his back gently.

"I want to get out of this vial hospital shirt, but I can't get the brace off without hurting myself," he stated as he shook his head to let her know that he wasn't okay.

"You should have woken me," she replied as she rolled her eyes as she began to undo his brace to help him out. He was such a guy about certain things and asking for help was one of those things.

"You were sleeping so peacefully. I couldn't bring myself to wake you," he explained as he leaned in to kiss her quickly, "I'm sure you got just as little sleep as I did last night."

"Less," she responded as she continued to loosen the Velcro straps as she had been taught earlier, "I didn't have any alcohol to aid in my falling asleep . . . uh, Chuck, how did they get this shirt on you?"

"Painfully," he groaned. He wasn't looking forward to getting it off, but he couldn't stand wearing the cheap blend of polyester and cotton for a moment longer. He could feel that the garment was irritating his skin.

"Perhaps we should cut it off," Blair suggested as she slipped the brace off his shoulder with one hand while she used her other hand to keep his injured arm still.

"Oh, thank god! Waldorf, you are a genius," Chuck sighed in relief, "I'm so glad I chose such a brain to fall in love with."

"So am I," she smiled brightly as she reached into her drawer to pull out a scissor that she knew she kept in there. "Hold your arm still and don't move. I don't want to accidentally nick you with these scissors. They are extremely sharp, and we both know I don't do well with blood."

"And I'd have to leave you on the floor because right now I can't carry you, even though I'd want to," he chuckled, his shoulders shaking in amusement.

"Don't move," she stated as she slapped his good shoulder lightly.

He stood as still as a statue as she began cutting through the fabric quickly but carefully. Once she had made a clean cut up the back of the fabric she then cut towards the sleeves. The fabric fell free quick enough as Chuck sighed in relief. Sure enough, his skin was slightly pink in irritation. She caressed his chest gently for a moment before speaking.

"Do you want to try putting on a different shirt, perhaps a button up?" Blair inquired as she set the scissors back in her drawer and then picked up the ruined shirt to throw in the waste bin.

"No," he shook his head vigorously, "I'll be going shirtless for the week. I hope you don't mind."

"That certainly complicates things," she groaned as her eyes skimmed over his bare chest as she helped him slip back into his brace. Once she finished, she couldn't stop herself from kissing his good shoulder softly. They both hissed at the sensation. "Not a good idea," she concluded.

"We already have to give up making love. I'll be damned if we have to give up all physical contact," he groaned as he pulled her towards him tightly with his good arm as he kissed her deeply. Blair melted into his arms as she lost herself in the kiss. His free hand began to trail up her body, caressing ridges of her spine before his hand wrapped around the back of her neck and pulled her in closer.

"Chuck, we have to stop," she moaned as she tried to pull away a mere fraction of an inch.

"Just a little more," he pleaded as he pulled her lips back to his. He felt her roll her hips against him, which elicited a growl from deep within his throat. He felt the familiar fire of desire spark within him. He had to release her.

"This is going to be really hard," Blair sighed as he pulled her out of the bathroom.

"In more ways than one," he quipped as he laid back against their bed at her prompting.

Blair laughed out at his obvious meaning as she glanced at his groin, which was already beginning to show the growing bulge through the track pants he was still wearing.

"This is going to be a long week," he grumbled as she pulled the bed covers over him once more.

"Get some more sleep," she encouraged him, "I'll bring you something to eat in a little while. Your medication should be wearing off by then. I need to go out and get your prescription filled. Do you need anything before I leave?"

"You obviously," he stated as his eyes began to droop shut.

"Besides me," she rolled her eyes.

"One more kiss before you leave," he requested as he tapped his lips.

"You have to behave," she responded sternly as she hovered over him. He nodded in agreement as she brought her lips to his. She wasn't at all surprised when he tangled his hand in her hair and pulled her against him when she tried to pull away. "Chuck," she gasped as she struggled to keep her balance and not fall on top of him.

"I couldn't help myself," he groaned as he felt the fire within him build.

"Just for that, I'm going to leave you high and dry," she stated as she turned on her heel and left him alone. She heard him chuckle as she left. She stood outside their bedroom door for a few moments to listen to him curse himself out for the predicament he had put himself in. He hadn't needed to take matters into his own hands in so long. Somewhere inside of him, he knew that option wasn't going to work.

* * *

"Mrs. Bass, your husband's prescription is ready," the pharmacist stated. Blair was sitting in one of the waiting chairs as she flipped through a magazine while waiting patiently for Chuck's prescription to be filled. She opened her mouth to correct the mistaken man, but stopped herself. She liked how the phrase sounded.

She looked at her promise ring as she stood to pay for the medication. "One day," she muttered to herself as she listened to the pharmacist explain the dosing instructions to her and possible side effects.

"Increased sexual arousal," was the one part of the explanation that she actually understood.

"Great," she muttered as she signed for the prescription and left the store. "That is just what we don't need right now."

When she returned to the penthouse, she found Chuck sitting in the living room waiting for her expectantly.

"You are supposed to be resting," she stated as he stood up gingerly and greeted her with a kiss.

"Couldn't sleep," he stated as she hugged him.

"How did things go for you after I left?" she teased as her eyes lowering to his groin as she eyed him with amusement.

"I couldn't bring myself to do it," Chuck admitted sheepishly, "I let nature take its course."

Blair tried to keep a straight face, but she quickly lost the battle and pulled away quickly before she doubled over in laughter. That was quite possibly the funniest thing she'd heard in a long time. "Since when does Chuck Bass let nature take its course when it comes to his favorite appendage?"

"Since he fell madly in love in Blair Waldorf, and has her to take care of his favorite appendage for him. Self service just doesn't have the same effect it once did," he stated dryly.

"I'll help you later," Blair assured him as she held up the prescription bag in front of him, "Are you ready for one of these?"

"Not just yet," he shook his head, "I'm not in nearly as much pain as I was before the shoulder was reset."

"Good," she sighed, "Because this medication has a side effect that is detrimental to both of us."

"What is that, Baby?" Chuck inquired curiously.

She held out the prescription literature that was attached to the bag and pointed to the side effects section. Chuck started laughing as his eyes glanced over the words she was referencing. "That doctor of mine must be some sort of masochist."

"We should call him and demand a different prescription," Blair stated.

"We'll stick with what we have," Chuck assured her, "We'll just try Tylenol first."

"The pharmacist called me Mrs. Bass," Blair blushed as she made her confession.

"Really," he responded with intrigue. Her blush was so beautiful that he had to lean in and kiss her cheeks softly. "Did you correct him?"

"I was going to," she responded as she shook her head, "But I couldn't. I liked it."

"One day," he assured her as he caressed her arm gently.

"That's what I said to myself," she smiled warmly as she kissed him.

"You promised me food early," he prompted her as both of their stomachs began to rumble softly.

"So I did," she agreed as she walked towards their kitchen were a supply of takeout menus had been collected. She knew that their chef wouldn't be arriving until later in the afternoon, so they had to fend for themselves until then. "What are you in the mood for?"

"You mean besides you," he felt like adding.

"Italian, Asian, Thai, Mediterranean, Greek, Indian, Cuban . . ." Blair began listing as she flipped through the menus while ignoring his suggestive comment.

"Greek sounds good," he stated as he stopped her from continuing. They would be there all day if she was allowed to keep going. They lived in New York City with virtually every type of ethnic food available to choose from.

Blair quickly made the call and put in their order without consulting Chuck. She told him to go lay back down, and she would bring the food when it arrived.

Chuck loved the maternal side of Blair. She was such an attentive nurse. She fluffed his pillows regularly. That afternoon she brought him whatever he asked for . . . found things to entertain him as there was no television in their bedroom to occupy his time. For some reason he had yet to identify, she didn't like him sitting in their den or entertainment room.

The pain medication that was required early that afternoon had two side effects. As promised it made him horny, although he seriously debated whether that was the medication or if it was his regular yearning for her. The second side effect was that it made him incredibly sleepy. He slept most of the day away. Blair slept with him for most of the day as she still felt the effects of her previous lack of sleep from the night before.

"Blair," Chuck whispered as he woke up and began stroking the hair away from her face. She was still sleeping, blissfully dreaming perhaps about the day that she would become his wife. He knew that was what he had been dreaming about. She had a wide smile on her face that had him regretting his need to wake her.

"Chuck," she mumbled happily as she nudged her nose gently against his shoulder. He couldn't determine if she was responding to his call to her, or if she was just calling out to him in her dream. He winced slightly from the pain that she had accidentally inflicted.

"Blair," he whispered a little louder. She continued to snuggle closer to him as she held onto the dream. Chuck groaned as her body completely molded against him. He began muttering curse words under his breath as his body reacted to her close proximity. "Blair," he stated forcefully.

She quickly awoke with a startled expression on her face. "What's wrong?" she inquired as she sat up suddenly.

"Nothing was wrong," he assured her, "I just needed to get up and use the bathroom and you have me effectively trapped in the bed. I can't fight you off right now."

She smirked in amusement as she helped him out of bed before offering her assistance.

"I think I can manage to relieve myself without your services," he grinned devilishly as he disappeared into the bathroom.

She was chuckling softly as she slid out of bed and began fluffing his pillows and straightening out their wrinkled bed sheets.

"Blair, I'm sure the doctor gave you orders to make sure that I get plenty of rest," he announced as he returned to the bedroom moments later, "But I can't lay in bed with you anymore without going crazy with lust. Can we go watch a movie or something?"

"Okay," she agreed as she led him to the entertainment room, "But you can't take the pain medication again until you return to bed. I can't get you back into bed without help. You have no idea how annoyed I was when Nate had to help me earlier."

"Why the secrecy when it comes to our bedroom?" he inquired curiously as they stepped into the entertainment room, "Through hosting our holiday soirees and business dinners you've given dozens of tours of our home. You've never once shown a guest our bedroom, not even Serena."

"You're going to think my answer is stupid," she sighed as she motioned for him to sit in one of the seats as she went to turn the entertainment system on.

"I would never think that anything that you say is stupid," he assured her as he carefully sat down to avoid any jarring motion that would inflict pain. He had always been a wimp when it came to physical pain, and he fully embraced it.

"Our bedroom is private and the things that go on in our bedroom are private. For anyone else to see our bedroom is like inviting them into the most intimate part of our life," she explained.

"That actually makes perfect sense," he stated in wonderment, "I'll make sure that Nathaniel erases any memory of our bedroom from his mind."

"And how will you be accomplishing that?" she inquired curiously as she began scrolling through the on demand movie selection they had to choose from as she looked for a suitable movie for them to watch.

"A large amount of alcohol always seems to do the trick. Nate's my best friend, but he cannot hold his liquor," he replied with a disbelieving chuckle. He'd tried to keep up with Chuck in the beginning, but failed miserably to very amusing results.

"Wouldn't it be easier to smoke it out of him?" she inquired.

"I haven't smoke pot in over a year," he stated defensively.

"That's you," Blair stated, "Do you think Nate's given it up just because you did? If you think that, you're delusional."

"I am the one that persuaded him to try it in the first place," he recalled.

"You were not nearly as influential in his bad habit as you think you were," Blair responded, "Remember I was his girlfriend for many years."

"Don't remind me," he groaned.

"My point is, he was stoned a lot more than just when the two of you were hanging out," she replied.

"Since we're on the subject of your relationship with Nate, I have to ask . . ." Chuck began.

"If you ask me who was better in bed, I'm going to dislocate your other shoulder," she snarled as she gave him a cold stare. She was practically daring him to ask the question.

"Curious as though the answer may be, I was actually going to ask if you had any residual feelings for him," Chuck stated, "We both know the answer to your question."

"You are such a secure man except when it comes to my relationship with Nate," she rolled her eyes, "Why is that, Chuck?"

"Because as you just said, he was your boyfriend for years. We haven't even gotten to our one year anniversary," he pointed out.

"Yet," she added merrily.

"I'm trying to be serious here, Waldorf," he scolded.

"I have no residual romantic feelings for Nate," Blair assured him, "The feelings that I have for him are purely platonic like the ones you have for Serena."

"Serena is my sister," Chuck groaned.

"Stepsister," Blair amended, "And I guess I see Nate as a brother."

"That's a little too twisted even for my taste," Chuck replied, "I never slept with Serena. You slept with Nate on a number of occasions."

"Not nearly as many as you think," she replied quickly.

Chuck opened up his mouth to reply, but the words caught in his throat as the surprise of her statement hit him. "I don't even know how to reply to that statement," Chuck offered finally.

"Good," she smiled, "Then we can end this conversation."

"I really am better in bed than Nate, right?" he needed assurance.

Blair smacked him quickly before she realized that it was his injured shoulder that she was about to make contact with. She was instantly regretful as she tried to comfort him, but he held her away with his good arm as he tried to breathe through the pain.

"You'll pay for that later," he hissed as he kicked his seat in pain,

Blair had tears in her eyes as she kissed his shoulder repeatedly as she tried to soothe his pain as she kept mutter her apology over and over again.

* * *

"How's your shoulder?" Blair inquired as she got him back into bed for the evening. He'd been groaning in pain through most of the last movie that they had watched which convinced her to put an end to their movie marathon they had started.

"Sore," he replied as he laid back against the bed as the comfort of their soft sheets enveloped him.

"Are you ready for more medication?" she asked. That was the real barometer of his pain. She could see he was trying to tough it out for her, but he'd cave if the pain was too bad.

"Not just yet," he shook his head.

"I'm making you take it before you fall asleep," she declared.

"And I'm in total agreement," he added, "But I'm not ready to fall asleep yet. I just want to look into your beautiful eyes for awhile."

"What sappy love sick movie is that line from?" she inquired as she climbed into bed next to him.

"That is a Bass original," he assured her as he took her hand and raised it to his lips to kiss gently.

"And how many woman have you used it on before me?" she pressed, her voice skeptical of his sincerity.

"None," he assured her, "None of them had your eyes."

"If I find out that you're lying to me somewhere down the road, you are going to be so sorry," she cautioned him. Chuck merely smiled back at her confidently.

"How about you read me a bedtime story before you tuck me in for the night?" he suggested playfully.

"We don't own any bedtime stories," she announced.

He made a mental note to ensure that some where purchased soon before responding, "We have to have something for you to read to me."

"Actually, I have the perfect thing," she stated as she quickly leapt off the bed and dashed out of the room. He heard the faint sounds of books falling to the floor repeatedly which he hoped was on purpose. She returned moments later with a soft covered book that she was holding up proudly.

"What is this?" he inquired as she jumped back up on the bed. He quickly snatched it from her to read the cover before his eyes went wide. It certainly wasn't what he had expected from her. "Walt Whitman."

"I'm reading it for my Lit class," she replied, "He seems to be your cup of tea, so to speak. His thoughts and ideas were quite controversial back in the day."

"As was his lifestyle," Chuck nodded.

"Just like you," she smirked proudly. Chuck smirked devilishly with pride at her statement.

"Funny how today nobody would bat an eyelash at his lifestyle, but mine causes most to roll their eyes in annoyance," Chuck mused as he began awkwardly flipping through the pages. Blair began trying to take it out of his hands, but he managed to keep it just out of her reach with each attempt she made.

"I'm supposed to be reading to you, remember," she pouted as she made one final attempt to get her book back.

"Where have you left off?" he inquired as he searched the book, looking for the telltale bent corner that she always used to mark her place that would tell him exactly where she had ended. "Let me read to you."

"That wasn't your earlier request," she pointed out.

"Whitman sounds better from a male voice," he rationalized as he found the page he was looking for. Blair grabbed one side of the book to help him keep it open as he began his narration. At the end of each page they worked together to flip it so that he could continue, smiling into each other's eyes as they went. Both were enjoying the quiet time they had together. They made a silent pact to keep up this tradition at least once a week going forward.

**TBC. . .**

**Reviews please.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. They belong to Cecily von Zeigesar and The CW.**

**Lots of drama in this chapter. It was pretty intense while writing. Hopefully you feel that in reading. Let me know what you think.**

"Charles, what happened?" Eleanor gasped as Blair and Chuck appeared for her weekly therapy session. Somehow Blair had managed to get Chuck dressed in his usual suit for their appointment that morning with minimal cursing. His shoulder was definitely on the mend.

"I dislocated my shoulder late last week," Chuck responded, although it was pretty obvious by the black sling he was accessorizing his ensemble with.

"Good heavens, are you alright?" she inquired as she touched his shoulder gently. Blair was noticeably taken aback by Eleanor's kind gesture. Eleanor had never make any effort to really reach out to Chuck before.

"I will be," he nodded as he looked at Blair and smiled. She had taken excellent care of him throughout his recovery, hardly leaving his side unless she had class to attend. She even did her studying in whichever room he had chosen to convalesce in at the moment.

Doctor Boyd's nurse called them all into his office, and Chuck went through virtually the same conversation with Doctor Boyd.

"When I instructed you to encourage and support each other in our last session, I didn't think we'd have to take it to this extreme," Doctor Boyd chuckled.

"We should start with our argument before this happened," Chuck prompted Blair. Her eyes casted down towards her Prada shoes. "Head up, Waldorf," he whispered softly in encouragement as he reached out to lift her chin with his finger.

"You argued," Doctor Boyd prompted.

"It started off innocently enough," Blair began. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat at having to explain in her mother's presence such an intimate detail of her relationship, but she somehow managed to find the words, "We had just made love and were both recovering. I didn't want him to move and told him that I only felt whole when we were connected as we were."

Her mother's eyes went wide in embarrassment as she caught her daughter's meaning. Chuck bit back a laugh of amusement as he saw Eleanor begin to blush.

"Chuck didn't like how it sounded, and looking back, I guess he does have a point. I think maybe I threw myself into this relationship so hard so that I didn't have to find who I really am. I've never really been alone. I went from Nate to Chuck to Marcus back to Nate and then to Chuck again. I've had brief periods of time in between relationships, but it's never been long enough to force myself to take a long hard look in the mirror," Blair began rambling. Chuck took her hand to give her encouragement as her voice began to falter.

"I will not give up my relationship with Chuck," she stated forcefully.

"Nobody is asking you to," Doctor Boyd assured her, "There are ways to find one's self without ending a relationship to do it. Do you do things with friends outside of your relationship with Chuck?"

"I usually have coffee with my school friends after classes are done for the day, and we have study sessions frequently," Blair responded.

"Do you socialize with them outside of school?" he inquired.

"Not really," she shook her head, "They invite me out for drinks and to go dancing all the time but I never go."

"And why not?" Chuck asked as he looked at her in surprise. This was the first he was hearing about her invitations.

"It's always a girl's night out kind of thing where no guys are allowed to tag along. I don't want to go without you," she explained.

"Why not?" he prompted, "Baby, I wouldn't mind. Had I known about this, I would have encouraged you to go. It's good for you to go out on occasion. We're both still really young, and we should be having fun."

"What about you," Blair snapped, "You've lived like a virtual monk since you took over at Bass. You never go out. You hardly even drink . . ."

Chuck looked at his shoulder as if to tell her she was wrong.

" . . . Other than when you're freaked out enough to down a bottle of vodka and slam your shoulder into some hard surface enough to dislocate it," she quickly amended as she went on the attack.

"Let's stop this right here," Doctor Boyd cut her off. This discussion was becoming unproductive.

Blair let out a huff as she crossed her arms. Chuck could almost see the steam escaping from her ears. He couldn't help but smirk at how sexy she looked.

"I have a proposition for the two of you," Doctor Boyd stated, "A compromise, if you will, that I believe might solve this issue. What if the two of you set aside a night every week in which you do things outside of your relationship with other people?"

"Like an open relationship?" Blair asked in confusion.

"I'm not saying date other people," Doctor Boyd smirked as he realized he had misspoke, "I'm merely suggesting that you take a little time away from each other each week so that you can find or maintain your own identity away from being Blair and Chuck."

"That makes sense," Chuck stated. He could tell that Blair didn't like the idea by the way she quickly crossed her legs. He had expected her heel to make contact with his shin but it didn't.

"I like that we're Chuck and Blair," she frowned.

"Why is it Chuck and Blair and not Blair and Chuck?" her doctor inquired.

"What's the difference?" Blair scoffed.

"Quite a bit," Doctor Boyd stated, "By saying Chuck and Blair, you are telling me that you put him before you."

"But I do put him before myself," she replied, "That is what you are supposed to do when you're in a relationship."

"Some of the time, yes," Doctor Boyd agreed, "It sounds to me like you don't do enough of the reverse. You still need to put yourself first on occasion. When was the last time you did that?"

Blair didn't even try to think back to the last time she had done that. She realized that it would have taken awhile to come up with an example.

"So, will we be giving this a try?" Doctor Boyd inquired.

"Does it have to be a permanent thing?" Blair asked, her voice sounding a little whinier than she had intended.

"No," Doctor Boyd replied, "If after a few weeks, you decide that you don't like it or don't think it is necessary you can stop, but I do want you to both give it a real chance."

Blair and Chuck began bobbing their heads up and down in agreement.

"Now, Eleanor, I'd hate for you to think that we asked you here today to listen to things that don't have any relevance to you," Doctor Boyd stated as he turned his attention to her mother.

Eleanor frowned. Although the conversation had been making her slightly uncomfortable, it was better than were she was sure the conversation was sure to head once they began focusing on her relationship with her daughter.

"Blair told me that you had tea a week ago," Doctor Boyd prompted, "How do you think it went?"

"Pretty well," Eleanor responded, "There were a few rough moments. I'll admit that Blair's surprise about coming into fashion design caught me completely off guard. I probably didn't handle it with the love and support she should have received. It's just not something that I had ever expected that she would have any interest in." Eleanor paused so she could turn to Blair. "Sweetheart, you never seemed to take too much interest in my work before. Fashion design seemed like the last thing you would want to take up as a career. If anything I figured that my involvement would send you running in the other direction."

"I guess I understand what you mean," Blair replied, "I did seem to go out of my way to show you how disinterested I was even though it was actually the farthest thing from the truth. You are an amazing designer, Mother. I'd be proud if I am half as successful as you are."

Eleanor beamed in pride.

"Eleanor, you've resisted this in the past, but it's time that we have an open conversation about your relationship with your daughter. I'm not going to allow either of you to ignore what is the primary cause of Blair's recent relapse and almost relapse," Doctor Boyd stated.

Eleanor's eyes instantly filled with tears. The moment that she had been dreading had approached.

"You all blame me for Blair's bulimia," Eleanor choked out, "You might as well join the party. I've been blaming myself since she first told me what happened."

"Why didn't you try stopping me when I first told you it happened?" Blair snapped.

"I was in denial," Eleanor stated, "I just thought if I ignored it, it would simply go away. I couldn't understand how my beautiful daughter could have any problems that would warrant this type of behavior. Your father and I worked so hard to provide you with everything you had ever wanted."

"We did the treatments before. We did the therapy before. You swore you'd change. You swore that you wouldn't be so critical of my life and my friends," Blair stated, "Yet every time I tried to take an interest in your life and your work it always felt like I was unwelcome and even worse incompetent."

"What are you talking about?" Eleanor gasped.

"Let's start with the modeling," Blair pressed, "You asked me to be the face of your line. Then after a few uncomfortable photos at the beginning of the shoot, you took it away and gave it to Serena, my best friend of all people. What was worse was that you didn't have the guts to tell me about it. Instead you lied to me and went behind my back. You know I would have found out eventually. I would have seen the magazine campaign eventually. You would have let me humiliate myself into thinking that some random girl had taken over the campaign until I finally saw the photo. How would you have explained that to me?"

"Blair, that was strictly business," Eleanor tried to defend herself.

"I'M YOUR DAUGHTER!" Blair hollered as she stood up abruptly from her chair and hovered over her mother. Chuck was on his feet instantly to restrain her as she appeared to want to go on the attack. "I DIDN'T DESERVE THAT!"

"You're right," Eleanor nodded as she tried to shrink into her chair. "What do you want from me, Blair? I'm a horrible mother. You're absolutely right about that. Do you want me to admit that I'm jealous of your life? I am. You are the smartest, most beautiful person in the world that has a man that loves you more than life itself. My husband of twenty years left me for another man, and looking back I don't know if he ever truly loved me or only did what society told him to. The only good thing in my life that I could call my own was my fashion line. Did I mean to neglect you because of it? Certainly not."

"And you think that justifies everything else?" Blair snapped, "Daddy didn't love you so you were justified in taking it out on me because he loves me?"

Blair was shaking with pain and rage. Chuck was struggling to hold her back. Doctor Boyd realized the severity of what was happening and stood up to stand between Blair and her mother who had finally stood from her seat.

"If your father loves you so much, why is he in France?" Eleanor shouted, "Why did he leave you here with me?"

"That's enough," Doctor Boyd scolded.

"He's in France so he can get as far away from you as possible," Blair shouted as she ignored Doctor Boyd's advice, "And I don't blame him."

"EVERYONE STOP!" Chuck commanded. Everyone looked at Chuck in stunned silence. Blair couldn't recall a time in which he looked more angry and afraid. "This is not helping!"

"Chuck is right," Doctor Boyd agreed.

Chuck turned Blair to face him so he could look at her as he spoke. "Blair, she's your mother. Does she have her flaws . . . absolutely. Was she what you needed growing up . . . probably not, but, Baby, she is still your mother and I know you love her; just as I know she loves you. She wouldn't be here today if she didn't.

"Do you know what I would give to see my mother for just once in my life? I would give up everything in my world . . . all the money, all the power and influence . . . everything for just one day with her even with all the flaws I'm sure she had.

"You keep trying to push your mother away. You keep looking for a reason to just walk away. One of these days, you're going to push and that's going to be the end of it. She's going to be out of your life for good and that will destroy you just as losing my parents has done to me. You need to stop this. Accept that she is not perfect. Accept that she isn't the mother that you needed and love her anyways."

Blair melted against him as she began sobbing. He held her tight against him as he looked to Eleanor who was crying on Doctor Boyd's shoulder. For the first time in his life, he felt sorry for Eleanor Waldorf. It was him that Blair turned to for comfort. That had to be the worst kind of pain for a mother - to realize that they are the cause of their child's pain and not be able to comfort them the way they needed.

"Blair," Chuck whispered softly. That prompted her to release him and walk straight into her mother's arms, hugging her tight as they both began sobbing harder against each other. This was the breakthrough that Blair needed.

Doctor Boyd looked at Chuck with an impressed look. He'd been working with Blair and Eleanor for almost four years, and never had he gotten them to where a few carefully chosen words by Chuck did.

Chuck and Doctor Boyd left the room for a few minutes to allow Blair and Eleanor to talk privately. When Blair called for them to return her eyes had been dried and she was smiling at Chuck who kissed her forehead as he stepped back into the office.

"Blair, how did the rest of your week?" Doctor Boyd inquired as everyone returned to their seats. Chuck thought it was an odd question. After all of the progress that was clearly made today, he figured the session would be over even though they hadn't used up all of their allotted time. Blair certainly looked drained of all her usual energy.

"Well, after Chuck hurt himself, I spend most of the time looking after him and making sure that he takes it easy. He's been given strict instructions to limit his physical activities, and he's being very stubborn about not following doctor's orders," Blair glared at him.

"I'm not going to apologize for seducing you," he chuckled casually.

"Driving me insane is more like it," she snarled, "You know very well that we can't make love until at least after your checkup tomorrow, yet you insist on torturing me by walking around the penthouse with your bare chest on the best of days and nothing at all on the worst."

"Do I need to be here for the rest of this conversation?" Eleanor cringed.

Chuck laughed out in amusement as Blair's eyes went wide. She had clearly forgotten her mother was still in the room. Her face flushed in mortification.

"Can I help it if I'm having difficulty dressing myself?" Chuck added in amusement, "I'm still getting the hang of this one armed thing."

"You could have managed a pair of boxers at the very least," she rolled her eyes, "What if the maid came upon you?"

"Who said she didn't," he winked at her.

"You're disgusting," she stated as she shook her head in annoyance.

"I love you too," he chuckled.

"Are you two always like this?" Eleanor asked curiously.

"No," Blair shook her head, "Occasionally we argue."

"Getting under each other's skin is part of who we are," Chuck explained, "It makes us Blair and Chuck."

"And this is a healthy relationship?" Eleanor responded in incredulity.

"For many people I would say no," Doctor Boyd responded with a smirk of amusement, "But for this pair, yes."

"Isn't this type of bantering back and forth bad for Blair's self confidence?" Eleanor inquired.

"I would never insult Blair," Chuck stated defensively.

"And even if he did, it's all in good fun," Blair added.

"Blair, I'm going to ask you one last time, and after this I'll never bring it up again," Eleanor stated.

Chuck looked at Eleanor expectantly. Blair's eyes were full of apprehension. They'd come so far today. Couldn't her mother just leave it alone?

"Are you sure that Charles is what you want?" Eleanor inquired.

"He is," she responded, "Always has been . . . always will be. Like I've said before, he's it for me."

"And she's it for me," Chuck added as he thumbed her promise ring, "Am I new at this commitment thing . . . absolutely. Has this been easy for me . . . no. Would I trade a day of our life for anything else . . . certainly not. She's my heart and soul. I'm not Chuck Bass without her, and I never intend to be ever again."

"That is very poetic, Charles," Eleanor stated.

"And I intend to back up the words with action. I will do whatever it takes to make you see that I am what's best for her because without a doubt she is the best thing for me," Chuck added.

Blair leaned over and kissed him softly.

**TBC. . .**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. They belong to Cecily von Zeigesar and The CW.**

**Sort of a mixed bag when it came to the reviews for the last chapter. I'm not exactly sure where you want me to take this if anywhere.**

"And what do you think you're doing, Mister Bass?" Eugenia inquired as Chuck and Blair stepped off the elevator after having lunch with Eleanor after Blair's therapy session. Eleanor had offered to take them as they were leaving Doctor Boyd's office without any prompting. Chuck quickly accepted on Blair's behalf. He then managed to convince her to swing by his office to check on his business affairs. Eugenia quickly arose from her desk and cut him off as he made his way towards his office.

"I believe I was going into my office," Chuck responded as he gestured towards the closed door. It was an odd sight as his door was always open for him.

"Where is your doctor's note?" Eugenia inquired as she held out her hand expectantly.

"What note?" Chuck inquired, his eyes showing the confusion he felt at her reference.

"It's Bass Industries policy that all employees out on leave of absence must return with a written note from their doctor clearing them to return," Eugenia explained.

"What leave of absence?" he inquired, "I've been out of the office for five days."

"Company policy also states that any absence lasting longer than four days, excluding vacation days, turns into a leave of absence which then requires a written note from a physician before the employee is able to return to work," Eugenia recited.

"What idiot wrote this policy?" Chuck rolled his eyes as he chuckled a little with amusement.

"I believe your father might have had some say in it," Eugenia responded without missing a beat.

"Eugenia, I'm the CEO. Surely if anyone is above the policy, it would be me," Chuck insisted as he moved to step around her. He heard Blair snickering behind him as Eugenia quickly stepped in front of him cutting off his path.

"Note," Eugenia insisted as she held up her hand again.

"This is insane!" Chuck proclaimed, "Blair, help me out here."

"As you so clearly pointed out, Bass, you are the CEO of this company. What kind of example are you setting if you do not follow the same rules and policies as everyone else," Blair responded. Chuck was impressed that she was able to say that with a straight face. She was such the good actress when she wanted to be.

"The little game the two of you have concocted is very amusing," Chuck replied as he waved a finger between the two of them, "But it's now over. I have work to do."

"Not until I get that doctor's note," Eugenia held firm.

"Is this really worth losing your job over?" Chuck threatened. His eyes were menacing, and his voice tight with tension.

"Is it really worth you firing me over?" Eugenia responded without even flinching. His words had no true intent behind them. He'd never fire her. Everyone in the room knew that. She was too good at her job, and too indispensable to both Blair and Chuck. Blair would never forgive him if he ever managed to forgive himself.

Chuck backed down quickly. "Can you at least give me a brief or something to read at home? I'm dying of boredom. There is only so much television that a person can watch without their brains turning to mush. I approached that threshold three days ago."

Eugenia laughed out loud as she turned towards her desk to grab a few files she could give him. Chuck used that distraction to make a dash towards his office only to find the door locked.

"You'd need the key," Eugenia stated as she held up the silvery piece of metal that was his passport to his lair. He cursed silently as he sulked back towards his assistant's desk, resigned to the fact that he'd have to make due with the few briefs she was holding out to him. Blair wasn't even trying to hide how amusing she found the situation as she was doubled over in laughter, tears spilling over.

"If you ever had a sibling, she'd be just like Eugenia," Blair proclaimed as she reclaimed some semblance of composure.

"You mean she'd be smarter, cleverer, and more duplicitous that the two of us put together," he responded. Eugenia beamed in pride as if he had just paid her the greatest compliment in the world, which actually he had.

"Come on, CEO Bass, let's get you home," Blair stated as she gestured him to come to her side, "Let's let Eugenia run the empire until we can get that doctor's note you need." She winked at Eugenia when she thought Chuck wasn't looking.

"I knew it, you two were in this together," Chuck exclaimed.

"We were not," Blair gasped, "I didn't even know that we were coming here until five minutes before we actually got here."

"Don't swindle a swindler," Chuck hissed.

"Your medication is making you paranoid," Blair proclaimed as she guided him towards the elevator as she waved goodbye to his assistant.

"I have an appointment with my physician tomorrow," Chuck stated, "I will return then."

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Blair sung out as they stepped onto the elevator. Eugenia could hear Blair and Chuck continue to argue as the door shut. She was shaking her head in amusement. She loved her boss and his girlfriend, his true partner and equal in every way.

* * *

During their drive home, Blair received a phone call. The name on her caller id was not familiar to Chuck.

"Lucy," she explained after she finished with her call, "A friend in my lit class. A bunch of girls are going to a show tonight. She wanted to know if I'd be interested."

"You should go," he encouraged her, "Remember what Doctor Boyd told us about taking a night out of our relationship each week. Tonight would be the perfect night for you. You're classes tomorrow start late, so you'll still be able to get your usual beauty sleep."

"Who's going to take care of you?" Blair frowned. She did not like his suggestion one bit. She'd had an exhausting day and it was barely after noon. All she really wanted to do was curl up in bed with him and sleep for days.

"I can manage to take care of myself for the night," he assured her, "I may claim that I'm helpless with this arm in this sling, but we both know I'm really not. I just like using that as an excuse to get you to wait on me hand and foot and to under your skin. Maybe I'll call Nathaniel and see if he's up for a Knicks game or something. My courtside seats have been going to waste virtually all season."

"Call Nate and see if he's game," Blair stated, "If he is, I'll call Lucy back and tell her I'm in." She was silently hoping that Nate would be doing the responsible thing for one night in his life and studying. Naturally she was disappointed. Nate jumped at the chance to blow off his schoolwork for a night out courtside, rubbing elbows with the rich and famous.

* * *

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Blair asked for the fiftieth time as she was preparing to leave for the evening. She'd already helped him dress and was now turning her attention to getting herself ready. When Lucy had told her that they were going to a show, she thought that it was going to be a movie, but it turned out that one of her friends had been given a handful of tickets to the hottest Broadway musical by her theater teacher.

"I'll be fine," Chuck assured her, "I promise that I'll be on my best behavior."

"And you know you can't have any alcohol with the medication you're taking," she gently reminded him as she put the final touches on her makeup.

"I'm not really a beer guy," he assured her as he swept her hair away from her neck so that he could lightly nibble at her fragrant skin, "They don't serve anything harder at the game anyways."

"And don't stay out too late," she chided him as she stood from her vanity before he could nibble any further and distract her into being late. She did one final inspection of her attire for the evening. She hadn't gone out for a girl's night in such a long time that she feared that she might be overdressed. She even went as far as calling Lucy to ensure that everyone else was dressing for the occasion. "If you need anything call me immediately. I'll have my cell with me."

"Blair, I love you, but you are not my mother," he chuckled softly as he pulled her against him. Her arms came around his shoulders instantly as she melted into his embrace. "I can take care of myself for one evening. I did pretty well for eighteen years without you."

She glared at him as if to remind him of all his past escapades.

"Fairly well," he quickly amended.

Blair continued to glare at him as she tapped her foot incessantly against the marbled tile floor as she held her ground.

"Okay, fine, not so well at all, but I'm still here aren't I?" he rolled his eyes as he conceded victory to her

"Lucy said that we're going out for cocktails after the show, but I won't go if you don't want me to," she stated, hoping that he would give her the excuse she wanted to bail on that part of the evening.

"Go ahead," he assured her as his hand caressed the bare skin of her back gently, "I can put myself to bed if I get home before you."

"I love you," she sighed as she began swaying ever so slightly against him.

"I love you," he responded automatically, "Have a good time and don't worry about me."

After one kiss, Chuck forced Blair into the elevator and to the awaiting limo. He had given her his limo for the evening along with Arthur. He called a town car for himself from the Bass fleet. Blair had been put in charge of transportation for the night after she told Lucy she could procure a limo. That had excited all of her friends as many of them had never ridden in a limo before. Chuck was happy to supply the vehicle and driver. With Arthur, he knew that she wouldn't get into too much trouble.

* * *

"You and I haven't gone out in the longest time," Nate stated as they were shown to their seats by the blonde goddess of an usher. Nate was practically drooling as he ogled the woman's generous assets, but Chuck wasn't the slightest bit impressed. All he saw were darkened roots of her stringy hair, the obvious second rate boob job, and streaky faux tan. This woman was screaming for a job at Hooters'.

Their court-side server, another Hooters' waitress in the making, inquired if they needed anything before the game started. Nate, who had resumed filling the puddle at his feet with his own drool, fumbled through his food order.

"How about you, Mister Bass, anything I can get for you?" the hostess inquired as she caressed his injured shoulder softly in a flirting manner.

"Bottle of water," Chuck responded as he brushed her hand away and focused his attention on his friend. One of the season ticket holders called out to him in greeting which he was quick to acknowledge. He hoped that by ignoring the waitress that she would take the hint and leave, but she didn't appear to be too bright.

"Are you sure there isn't anything else?" the hostess asked as she bent forward slightly so that her cleavage was on further display as she began playing with one of the buttons of his shirt. If she bent forward any further she was liable to spill out completely. "We are full service here." The implication was quite clear as the woman stared lustfully at his lap.

A growl of displeasure tumbled from deep within Chuck's throat as he glared at Nate who was chuckling in amusement.

"Not interested," Chuck assured her as he swatted her hand away roughly. He'd been kind the first time, but enough was enough. "Just the water."

"Do women always through themselves at you like that?" Nate asked incredulously after the woman turned while flipping her hair roughly in disgust as she strutted away. She managed to stumble in her heels which caused both Nate and Chuck to smirk in amusement.

"Usually not," he shook his head, "I usually have a lovely brunette on my arm that is very good at deterring the advances of these skanks."

"Skanks," Nate repeated as his eyes widened in surprise, "That's a bit harsh don't you think, even for you?"

"I can think of worse if you give me a few minutes," he laughed.

"A year ago you would have taken her up on that offer," Nate pointed out.

"And a year ago I didn't have that brunette to fend them off," Chuck added as his eyes twinkled.

* * *

"Blair, we're so happy you decided to finally join us for a girls' night," Riley, one of her school friends, stated merrily as they sat at the table Blair had managed to secure at Butter. Her friends had been dying to try it since first semester but unable to ever get a table. With Blair they walked right in and were given the royal treatment. Being the girlfriend of one of the most powerful CEOs in New York City definitely had its perks.

"Yeah, we thought your boyfriend had you under lock and key or something," Lucy added. Her speech was beginning to slur as from the alcohol she had already consumed. She had managed to find Chuck's stash of alcohol in the limo and began drinking even before they arrived at the show. Blair had silently wondered if Chuck even remembered the alcohol was there as her friends helped themselves.

"Not at all," Blair responded as she swirled the liquid in her glass with her straw. She was dutifully keeping pace with her friends, having downed two cosmos already. She was sufficiently buzzed as she worked on her third.

"What's it like dating a CEO?" Jill, another friend, inquired as she looked at Blair as if she had stars in her eyes.

"It's no different really than dating anyone else," Blair shrugged as she sipped her drink.

She was putting up a good front like she was having a wonderful time, but her thoughts continued to drift back to Chuck throughout the evening. He'd texted her once on their way from the show to Butter to let her know he was thinking about her and feeling okay. Her heart melted a little at the sentiment. Who knew technology could have such an emotional effect on a person.

"Chuck is the same person to me that he always has been. To me, he'll always be Chuck, not CEO of Bass Industries," she added.

All the girls at the table began giggling with excitement as they proceeded to pepper her with question after question. Blair's life fascinated her friends. From her glamorously fashionable mother, to her tabloid selling best friend, and naturally her powerful CEO boyfriend, all of it was mesmerizing to them. They couldn't fathom anything like that. Their lives felt painfully dull next to Blair.

Before Blair knew it she had consumed more alcohol than she had intended, and she and the rest of the girls were stumbling to get into the limo that was waiting for them well after three in the morning. Arthur was both amused and concerned by Blair's stagger. He wondered if his employer was going to hold him at all responsible for how intoxicated she was.

After dropping Blair's friends off at their respective dorm rooms, Arthur had to help a nearly passed out Blair to the penthouse.

"How much alcohol did she consume?" were the first words out of Chuck's mouth as Blair tumbled out of the elevator and into his side, fortunately it wasn't his injured shoulder, but the jarring motion of her slamming against him gave his shoulder a painful twinge.

"I have no idea," Arthur stated as he tried to keep Blair upright as she struggled to get her grip around Chuck's neck.

"Jesus, Waldorf," Chuck growled as he stumbled back as he tried to get used to the extra weight she was throwing against him, "I told you to have a good time not get blitzed out of your mind." He was struggling with his concern for her, but also with the amusement he got from the situation. This was most definitely a switch in roles for him. He had always been the drunk one before.

Blair mumbled something incoherent as she hiccupped a giggle.

"Come on, Waldorf, off to bed," Chuck mused, "Thank you, Arthur, I think I can take her from here."

"Are you sure?" Arthur inquired skeptically. Blair had been very unsteady on her feet and even with two good arms he had struggled to get her as far as she'd gotten.

"I'll manage," Chuck assured him as he took two small steps backwards to test is hypothesis. She seemed to follow him okay, so be figured he'd be alright. He knew that Blair wouldn't appreciate their chauffeur seeing their bedroom, even if she'd probably never remember it. "Thank you for making sure she got home safely."

Arthur sighed in relief as he left the penthouse. His boss didn't seem the slightest bit upset with him for the situation.

"Waldorf, you have to help me a little here," Chuck stated after he'd managed to get her into their bedroom and propped up against the closet door. He was struggling with the zipper of her dress in a very unBasslike fashion. She kept sliding down against the doorframe, but he continued to pull her back up straight. Blair's hands finally fumbled with the zipper, but she managed to lower it enough for Chuck to get the dress off. He decided to leave her in the strapless bra and panties she had on and just get her to bed.

"Such a handsome face," Blair stated as she laid back against the softness of the bed. Her hand was tracing his chin as she spoke, and her eyes were hooded as if she would fall asleep at any moment. Her words were slurred and difficult to understand, but he was pretty sure he translated them correctly. It was perhaps the most coherent thing she had said since she stepped off the elevator. "You really are my knight in shining armor."

"I think the armor is a little dented right now," he smirked as her hand trailed down his neck to his injured shoulder, caressing it gently.

"I love me," she proclaimed as she smiled at him cheerfully.

Chuck began laughing at her mixed up pronouns as he leaned in to kiss her forehead, "I love you too, but you are so drunk." He could smell the alcohol on her breath. It was overpowering. He could have intoxicated himself from the fumes of whatever it was that she had consumed.

"And horny," she announced as she tried to pull him towards her, "Take me, Chuck."

"You know we can't," he scolded as he resisted her advances.

"It's been a week," she whined, "I'm not built for this. I need you."

"Soon," he tried to assure her. Sooner than he thought she could react, her hand made violent contact with his cheek as she slapped him across the face. His head snapped violently to the side with the force. The sound seemed to echo through the room as he looked at her in stunned silence.

Blair's eyes went wide in surprise as if she was suddenly sober, then just as quickly she passed out completely.

Chuck didn't even hesitate as he left the room. For the first time since they moved it together he was going to sleep in one of the guest rooms. He wasn't going to have a fight with her when she was too drunk to remember, and he intended to yell at her for what she had done. No matter what condition she was in, nothing justified her hitting him like that. Playful slapping he could tolerate, but this didn't feel anything like that.

**TBC. . .**

**Thoughts. . .**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. They belong to Cecily von Zeigesar and The CW.**

Blair's alarm went off too early the next morning and threw her completely for a loop. She was totally disoriented as to where she was and couldn't figure out how to making the annoying buzzing stop. She began pushing every button there was but ringing continued. She quickly gave up and yanked the cord from the wall outlet. She sighed in relief as she sunk back against the familiarly scented pillows, a wonderful mixture of her sweet perfume mixed with Chuck's spicy cologne.

She did a quick internal inventory to conclude that she had a massive headache, a dry mouth and a stinging pain in her hand, but everything else appeared to be in working order. She didn't even remember how she had got home the previous evening. She vaguely remembered ordering the fourth round of cosmos for her and her friends, but she had a sneaking suspicion that they hadn't stopped there.

She rolled towards Chuck's side of the bed hoping to either find him sleeping next to her or chuckling in amusement at her uncoordinated fight with her alarm, but not only wasn't he there, his side of the bed hadn't been slept in. Had he been out all night with Nate? If he had, she was going to be beyond pissed. Late night Chuck was a dangerous Chuck, even with only one functioning arm. She'd make sure to yell at him as soon as her hangover subsided.

She stumbled into the bathroom with the intent of finding something in the medicine cabinet to alleviate her headache. She froze at the sight of the toilet. She couldn't even remember if she had consumed so much alcohol that it made her sick. What was she going to tell her therapist? Her mother? Chuck? Surely they'd give her a pass considering the amount of alcohol in her system, but still.

She had tears in her eyes as she tried to find a pain killer for her headache. Through her search, she kept knocking various bottles onto the counter and into the sink. Each time one rattled it caused the throbbing in her head to hurt a little worse and tears to come a little quicker. She desperately needed Chuck at that moment.

"Do you need a hand?" Chuck inquired as she appeared to finally give up her search and slump against the counter. He had himself propped up against the bathroom door frame. He was still livid with what happened last night, but he knew that she had to be miserably hung over.

"CHUCK!" she gasped as she ran to him and threw her arms around his neck.

He held her tightly as he tried to soothe away her tears. Even through the anger, his concern for her well being was his top priority.

"How's your head?" Chuck asked as he kissed her temple softly, "You were pretty drunk when you came home last night."

She didn't respond to his question, instead Blair began to rain kisses along his jaw and neck line as she nuzzled against him. He knew immediately where her actions were heading. He had to stop her immediately.

"Not going to happen," Chuck snarled as he stepped away from her as she tried to kiss his lips. Blair looked at him in confusion. Her eyes suddenly went wide as she saw the faint red outline on his face. She reached out and found that her hand fit the mold perfectly.

"Chuck, I'm so sorry!" Blair gasped, "Did I do that?"

"Yes, you did," he confirmed, his voice cold and angry.

"Why did I . . ." she started to speak, but she realized quickly it didn't matter. He was angry and justifiably so. What the hell had she been thinking? "Never mind, are you okay? Do you need ice or anything?"

"While the concern is touching," he responded sarcastically as he light brushed her hand away, "It doesn't change the fact that you slapped me . . . without reason."

"I'm so sorry," she repeated. Her voice was full of remorse and sorrow. The tears from moments earlier returned with greater intensity.

"You come home drunk as hell, stumbling all over the place after three in the morning, practically throwing yourself at me, and when I refused you hauled off and hit me," he shouted. He didn't care at that moment that his yelling was causing her more pain. He was angry and even worse . . . he was scared.

He remembered how she fell apart the previous year after being rejected by Yale, and he was worried that she was spiraling out of control again. Ironically, it was the acceptance by that very same school that had been the cause. They had to deal with this once and for all.

"This isn't you," Chuck growled, "This isn't the Blair I love. What is happening to you? First the bulimia and now this. Finding comfort at the bottom of a bottle is not the answer. Trust me, I know. Whatever it is, talk to me . . . let me help you through this."

"I'm so confused," Blair proclaimed as she slumped to the floor as she began to sob.

Chuck's heart broke at the sight before him. Blair curled herself into a tight ball on her side as she sobbed until she was gasping for air. He knelt down next to her and curled himself against her as best he could, fighting the pain of laying against his injured shoulder so he could wrap his good arm around her.

"I don't know what to do," Blair stated as she finally regained some sense of composure, "Yale was my dream all of my life. It was my sole purpose for eighteen years. Everything that I did was in pursuit of that singular goal. When that fell apart . . . well, you were there . . . you know what happened. I put my life back together . . . with your help . . . and found a new reason for living, us.

"When Yale changed their mind and sent me that moronic letter, it felt like I had to choose between what I once was and what I now am. I feel like I'm being ripped in two."

"If you want to go to Yale, we'll figure it all out," he reassured her yet again, "I don't want you giving up your dream for me."

"But it was my old dream from my old life. I'm not that person anymore. When you and I finally got together, I felt whole. I know you don't like me saying that, but it's true. Knowing that you love me freed me from what I felt I had to be. I didn't have to be Queen B. I didn't have to be perfect. You know every side of me, inside and out. You've seen me at my best and my worst, and yet you loved me anyways," she explained.

"I've always loved you," he assured her as he kissed her cheek softly, "Even before I knew what being in love meant, I knew I loved you."

"Help me," she requested as she looked to him with pleading eyes.

"How?" he inquired as he brushed a few stray hairs away from her face. He'd been struggling with how to do that very thing for almost a month now. "Whatever you need, I'll do it. I'll do anything for you. You know that."

"Be with me," she stated as she rolled towards him, bumping against him accidentally, "Make love to me."

"Blair," he groaned more from his want for her than in actual pain.

"I don't care what the doctor says. We both need this," she insisted as she rolled him onto his back as she straddled him. She hissed as she felt the growing bulge in his pants press against her.

"God, you drive me crazy," he growled as his head slammed against the cold marble tile as she rolled her hips against his. His eyes rolled into the back of his head as his lust for her took complete control of his body. "Blair, can we relocate to a more comfortable location." He was conceding to her wish but the cold floor of their bathroom was not a suitable place for them in that moment.

"Bed, now," she commanded as she rolled off him and hauled him to his feet and pulled him to their bed.

"I'm going to need a little help here," Chuck smirked as he looked towards the boxers he was wearing. Blair laughed as she quickly yanked his shorts down before removing the lingerie she was still wearing from the previous evening.

"Lay back," she cooed, "Let me do all the work. I would hate for you to further injure yourself."

"Be gentle," he whispered as he laid back as she climbed over him. There was no foreplay as she sunk down on him.

"Yes," she moaned as she reveled at the sensation of him inside of her, "You are never allowed to do anything that takes you out of commission for this long ever again. One week without you is more than I can stand."

"I guess you'll need to come with me on my business trip to Japan in a few months," he chuckled, "I'll be gone for ten days."

"I will definitely be there," she nodded as she began riding him.

"Jesus, Blair," he panted as she rode him frantically. He could feel her ready to fall over the ledge but she was holding back. She wasn't going to fall until he was with her for the ride.

He willed himself to relax back against the soft comforter and allow her to overtake all of his senses. The way she felt against his skin, the sights of her as she rode them both to their peak, the taste of her tongue as it swept into his mouth as she mimicked what he was doing inside of her, the smell of their combined arousal, but most importantly the sounds she was making. He could go permanently go deaf, but the sound would forever echo is his heart.

"Chuck," she called out, her voice desperate with her need for him, "Please."

"I'm there, Baby," he assured her. He knew instantly what she was asking for. She was looking for permission to jump off the cliff. "Let go. I'm right behind you."

She growled as her release came and as promised he was with her the entire way. As she fell against him completely spent, he tried to ignore the pain that was caused by her added weight against his upper body, but a low hiss escaped his lips. Her eyes went wide as she quickly rolled herself off of him.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled as she tucked her head against his shoulder as she tried to capture her breath.

"Blair, you have nothing to be sorry for," he assured her as he gulped for air, "That was incredible."

"We are a perfect fit," she proclaimed as she laced her fingers into his free hand as she studied the way they fit together.

"No arguments from me," he nodded as he kissed her forehead.

"We're always going to be like this, right?" she inquired as she looked into his eyes with eager anticipation as to what his answer was most likely going to be.

"I'll always crave you like I crave nothing else. You are air to me, Blair. I need you to stay alive," he assured her.

"I feel better," she announced, and he knew she wasn't just talking about recovering from her hangover. She was feeling better about herself. He could see in her eyes that the confidence that she had been missing for well over a month was returning. He didn't understand what exactly had changed as a result of them making love this time as opposed to the other times since she had relapsed, but most definitely something had. "I'll never be completely free from my bulimia, but I'm in a better place now."

"And Yale?" he prompted as he ran his fingers through her tangled hair. She would cringe if she looked in the mirror as her hair was mussed from sleep, but still beautiful . . . still Blair.

"They can stuff their acceptance letter where the sun doesn't shine," she smirked, "I certainly don't need them."

"What should we do with the letter?" he inquired.

"It got tossed a long time ago, didn't it?" she frowned.

"Check the top drawer of my nightstand," he prompted her.

She threw herself across his body as she opened the drawer. He moaned softly at the feel of her skin against his. When she had the drawer open, she found a wrinkled up piece of paper laying on top. She didn't even have to think about it. She slid off the bed and turned on their fireplace while throwing the paper into the blaze.

When she turned back towards him after the paper had completely disintegrated, she had a familiar smirk on her face. He loved that smirk. It was her way of telling him that he'd better get himself ready for round two.

"Insatiable," he laughed as she climbed over him once more, "Just the way I like you."

"Enjoy this while you can, Chuck Bass," she teased, "Because when you are fully recovered, I expect you to start pulling your own weight once more."

"With pleasure," he smirked as their lips collided together. Their tongues began to duel for control, neither willing to concede victory.

"I love you, Bass," she mumbled against his lips.

"I love you, Waldorf," he responded.

After they had finished making love for the second time, Blair drifted off to sleep tucked in securely at his side. He knew he should have been tired, but he wasn't. He was relieved and happy. She'd been there for him through the pain when he mourned for this father. It had been his turn to see her through her pain, and he had succeeded.

For possibly the first time, he felt like he was really going to be able to sustain their relationship for the long haul. Love and passion could only get them so far. Granted they had more passion than most, but in the back of his mind he knew that although he'd always crave only her, the passion could eventually die down.

Blair had been right the day they had finally gotten together when she proclaimed that their relationship would need to be about more than just sex. He understood now what she meant. They needed to be partners in life. They had to be there for each other through all of life's ups and downs. That worried him more than the monogamy. He wasn't good with with his own ups and downs. He didn't know how he'd ever manage to see her through hers. Now he'd proven to himself that he could do it.

He was surprised when he pulled himself out of his thoughts to see that she was staring into his eyes. She had a lazy smile on her face.

"Thank you," she responded sincerely as she began tracing random patterns along his chest.

"For what?" he inquired as he covered her hand with his, stilling her motions.

"For helping me through this. I know it wasn't easy for you," she replied.

"I'm just happy that you're feeling better," he proclaimed.

"And I am better," she assured him as she leaned in to kiss him, "Because of you."

He smiled at her warmly as she drifted off to sleep again. He joined her in her slumber this time. The outside world fell away as she slept in his arms with a genuine smile on her face.

**The End.**

**This just felt like the natural end to the story. I have a few ideas that I'm playing around with in my head that may or may not result in anything. I'm open for ideas. Any requests?**


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